Second Chance
by CreativeAJL
Summary: Those that have died first in different games have all been reaped and ready to participate once again. Being reawakened wasn't all they thought it would be. Many things have changed since their times. Luckily for them, they're not alone. Watch as the tributes who died first in various Hunger Games battle it out for another opportunity at life.
1. This Years Quarter Quell

_Finding someone worth waking up_

 _Is better than to find someone_

 _You know that's already_

 _Asleep_

* * *

 **Prologue:**

* * *

 **Gari Salvatore, 19;**

 **Victor of the One Hundred Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games**

Today is the day. The day that the President of Panem, Milo Bengel, announces the Quarter Quell. I've been excited for this year, I really have been. I _was_ looking forward to volunteering this year because of how much I wanted to win a quell, but then I realized that last year was my last year, so I finally took the chance that the academy gave me, and I won. I won it. Easily, way too easily.

The competition during my games was nothing but a mere joke. You'd think that careers would put up a fight, but they didn't. I killed my entire career alliance. Psh! Formidable opponents my butt. What type of careers die before the final ten tributes remain?

I sit on a rolling chair and put my feet up on the President's desk as I watch the recaps of my games. These were by far the Capitol's favorite games. I mean, come on! I was a genius during these games. I came out with fifteen kills. I'm pretty sure that's a record.

I watch as the camera is zooming in on me stabbing the boy from Two in the back of the skull, instantly killing him. His partner runs back towards the watery surface we were in and I hear her feet crushing down against the twigs left on the floor. I roll Jayo's body into the water and turn around clutching my machete while staring at Sabian.

She looks stunned, she's crying. Running with full force she swings her rapier at me. Easily ducking, I shove my machete straight into her stomach and pull it out without hesitation. Her face is later cut completely open with my machete drained in blood. It was just too simple, you know?

Their faces showed up on the third night of the games. After that it was smooth sailing. Killing my District partner was a breeze. She was unintelligent and only her beauty had her surviving for so long. The tributes from Four though... They were something else. I had taken first watch during that night when I hovered over the boy and slammed his own tomahawk down onto his neck.

His partner watched, arrow poised and ready to be shot at me. I remember feeling nervous at that point. I had eight kills by then, and sweat was strolling down my face. She spun around me aiming straight at my temple until I forcefully swung the tomahawk at her neck decapitating her with no problem whatsoever. The only bad side was she shot the arrow in my left shoulder which I couldn't use for the rest of those games.

It wasn't really all that bad, though. I had won because of my charms, my personality, and my skill. My good looks played a huge factor in my role of winning these games. It was just way too simple. I mean, I had everything that the president wanted. I was a sure factor to win those games.

I remember the final five coming to an end. Each and everyone of those kills were mine. I mean, the couple from Nine were simple. Once I killed the boy, the girl broke down and was easily choked to death with my bare hands. It felt so good, you don't even know.

After them, the two remaining tributes had teamed up on me. It was as if neither of them saw the atlatl that I threw. It landed straight into the girl from Seven's chest and she died. Mouth wide open and her eyes. Oh my Panem, they were just a blast to watch as the life drained from them.

The boy from Ten was no different. All you had to do was put him in a choke hold and have him die of shortened breath. I'm telling you, my Games were one to remember. It was just effortless, you know? I'm glad I won though because my District was on a huge Victor drought. I mean, we didn't have a Victor for thirty damn years. Thirty!

District Two already had nine Victors by then and Four had Five. District Seven even passed us and are now currently at thirty Victors. Dead and Alive.

I quickly turn the television off and remove my feet from the table. I watch as the President begins to announce this years Quarter Quell. Even _I_ have no idea what it's gonna be, and I'm his favorite Victor by far. He turns his head and nods at me as I watch. He takes a deep breath and slowly walks up to his podium in front of thousands.

''As you all know,'' he begins. ''Every twenty-five years we have a special occasion in the Hunger Games called the Quarter Quell. This year marks the one hundred seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games.''

I watch as he goes on about previous quarter quells. He has an interesting way of putting them into his perspective. I just can't help but snicker at his speaking tone and how serious he is about this. Trust me, if I was ever President I wouldn't be as serious as this old hag. He's only Forty, but he's still old. Older than I am, at least.

''For the twenty-fifth games we had the District's choose the tributes that they wanted to participate to show them that whatever they do, they couldn't stop what was happening. This proved to be the ultimate betrayal for the tributes who were reaped, unfortunately for them.''

I don't remember seeing those games. I have to go back and watch the recaps of that. I remember hearing that the way the Victor won was a very unique way. It's really getting to me.

''For the fiftieth games, we had double the amount of tributes chosen to participate in these games. This had the largest amount of tributes dead at the bloodbath with the count of eighteen tributes.''

Haymitch from Twelve won those games. He wasn't all that. I mean, I'm way better than him and others know that as well. Plus there's a big difference between us: He's dead and I'm alive. Hah, that poor fool from Twelve. Look at his District now. Ever since that rebellious girl died, they've had no Victors for years to come. I think all of their Victors are old hags who need to get off that life support. What was her name? Katnip? Kantmiss? Who cares? She was nothing more than an irrelevant scrub.

The president continues on the quarter quells and how Cashmere won the seventy-fifth games against Enobaria. I remember watching those games. Cashmere was fierce and I always knew she was stronger than Gloss. He was a pathetic Victor in my opinion, dying right in front of his sister. What a way to go, buddy.

President Bengel finally reaches this years Quarter Quell. He unfolds the beautiful, pure white envelope encrusted with a gold stone on the edge of it. He slowly opens it up and takes the paper out of it. I lean forward as I watch him pull it and begin to read what's inside.

''Now we honor our seventh Quarter Quell on the one hundred seventy-fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games to remind the rebels that even the ones that they lost first are never safe and will not overcome the Capitol just because they are asleep. The male and female tributes from these games will be reaped from a pool of existing tributes who have died first in the Games.''

My eyes widen in shock. Wow, that's a surprising turn of events. And I'm gonna have to mentor the first deaths from One? That shouldn't seem to hard. I mean, you're looking at the greatest Victor alive after all. This is gonna be interesting.

I feel two soft hands massage my shoulders. I can tell easily that they're the President's daughter's hands rubbing my shoulders. She smells like cherry and I can't help but admire her. She whispers into my ear and I can't help but chuckle at the thought.

The President walks back in and she quickly lets go. I smile up at him and he gives me a huge hug. I know damn well that I'm his favorite Victor. There's no doubt about it. I'm just that amazing. It'll be fun to train these fallen tributes, and I'm gonna have a blast. Oh, I can't wait until they're reaped. This is going to be one fun Games.

I'm dying to see what they can do with my help.

* * *

 **A/N: Welcome to my second SYOT, guys! Glad you all read this and I hope that you enjoyed this prologue. I'm going to make these games a series, so after this will be the one hundred seventy-sixth. I'm really excited for this story and I really hope that people submit. It would be amazing to get the chance of writing your tributes, and receiving them. I can't wait to see what you all come up with!**

 **The rules will be up on my profile. Everything you need to know will be there, including the form. So, there are no volunteers for these games since they are dead tributes being revived. Not any dead tributes, the first deaths of the games. Including Careers, it's not impossible for them to die. You all already know that. All I have to say is please read the rules before submitting, at least skim them and make sure you understand. It makes it a whole lot easier, and you all know that as well.**

 **Thanks for taking your time to read this! I hope that you will all submit and I'm really interesting into seeing your tributes. Please follow, favorite, review, and submit! I'd love to know all of your opinions, so please let me know. See you all later into the story. Have fun reading and submitting!**


	2. Past Quarter Quell Recaps

**Prologue Part Two:**

* * *

 **Milo Bengel, 40;**

 **President of Panem**

So here I am. Watching the recaps of past Hunger Games knowing exactly which tributes I want to participate in this Quarter Quell. They all had different deaths that I enjoyed watching when I was younger as a child. I was so pure of heart back then. I remember playing with my Hunger Games toys of previous Victors and different types of arenas.

I was so interested in the games back then and I just couldn't wait for them to return to the Capitol. I used to always watch reruns on the costly channels, but that just wasn't the same as seeing fresh new tributes fight with each other to the death. There's a huge difference between them.

As I hold up the sheets of paper on past Quarter Quells I decide to go over them. The first Quell was when the tributes had to choose the children that they wanted to participate in the games. What betrayal that was. I almost felt bad for the poor children who died in those games.

I turn on the television and place the tape of the twenty-fifth and watch from beginning to end. Declan Diarmuid of District Five won those Games. What a pity...

The Capitol favorite was Kitana Striker. Beautiful girl, crazy talent, the perfect career. She had the attitude, the skill, the looks. She had everything that a Victor needed. And her downfall was all because of a damn gamemaker problem. Are you kidding me? The Cthulhu mutt slapped her, knocking her down off of her feet and barely able to get up.

The boy from Five, Declan, quickly took advantage of this and decapitated the poor girl. She could've been a very useful source for the Capitol. The final Five was all favorites. Alex.. Poor boy sacrificed himself for Declan. He could've been a wonderful Victor.

Vixen was just outdone by Kitana. It wasn't a surprise to me. He had the skill and he could have been a wonderful Victor if he wasn't too trusting. That was his downfall, and I regretted watching the poor boy die. District One wasn't bad that year, especially because of him.

Janet... She... She was one of my favorites. I couldn't stand watching her die. It was stupid. She was a clear Victor, and I couldn't get my head over the fact that she lost and someone like Declan, who soon turned into a male prostitute, became Victor. Oh well, what can you do? Not all Victors are what you expect them to be. We've had plenty of those before, and obviously there will be more to come.

The fiftieth Hunger Games was a very special games. Double the amount of tributes were reaped, and I couldn't believe a tribute from Twelve came out alive. What the hell type of bull crap is that? District Twelve winning?

Haymitch fought against the girl from Two, Maria. I couldn't believe a damn force field killed her. You've got to be kidding me. The boy from Twelve who was practically dead, missing part of his stomach and had multiple stab wounds around his chest beat her with damn luck!

I just couldn't stand the thought of that; it made me want to rip out my hair. I'm glad the idiot's dead. How can anyone stand a Victor from Twelve? Especially Katniss... I hated her. Trying to cause a rebellon, but how did that end up for you, honey?

Speaking of Katniss, her death in the seventy-fifth games were flawless. Can you believe it's been one hundred years ever since she died? I'm glad. Every morning when I wake up, I think of Katniss's death. It makes me feel happy, and it brings joy to me whenever I'm having a gloomy day.

The seventy-fifth was action packed. Katniss died shortly after the day of the bloodbath when an army of mutts jumped out of bushes killing the girl from Six, and Katniss. Poor Peeta broke down as soon as he saw the death of his ally.

Turns out that the careers had been following them for hours, just waiting for the best opportunity to come out and strike! As soon as the girl from Six died, Peeta went to comfort the dying Katniss. To his surprise the group of careers ran out of the bushes and Cashmere threw a perfectly spun knife at his throat.

The boy choked on his own blood for minutes straight. They tortured him, moving the knife in and out of his throat repeatedly as if it were a game. Instead of letting him and Katniss die in peace, they each picked Katniss up swiftly and hovered her over Peeta. Peeta's eyes had fainted to sleep, but not before he saw Brutus shove his spear straight through the girls head. So much for a rebellion.

After Kaniss's death, the careers figured out that there weren't really any tributes left that could manage to pose a threat to them. Sure, Finnick was the youngest Victor _ever_ , but he wasn't all that. Johanna won by putting on a nice-girl attitude, but that wouldn't work against professional killers; they knew her strategy already.

After all four of them: Gloss, Cashmere, Brutus, and Enobaria stared at each other, they knew what was going to happen. It was going to be the best career bloodbath in the history of the games. Enobaria took no time to attack Gloss with her short sword. The boy didn't see it coming. It cut a large gash down the right side of his cheek to his chest.

Cashmere stood shocked as her brother's charms and looks faded with one single cut. Brutus quickly threw a spear at the tumbling Victor that soon landed in his abdomen.

 _Boom!_

What a way to go. All of a sudden we're down to three careers, if you don't count Finnick, of course. Cashmere wastes no time throwing three knives hidden behind her back straight through Brutus's throat. Big boy fell to the ground without a single word. Eyes wide open, neck swollen, his District partner looking at him in dismay.

You'd think that District Two could easily beat One, but that just wasn't the case. Cashmere had multiple knives stuck in the girl from Two's back who soon fell into the water face first. She sank deeper into the water, and then a cannon went off. Unfortunately, it wasn't hers. It was the girl from Five's after the tidal wave.

The feast happened two days after. Finnick, Chaff, Johanna, Cashmere, and Enobaria. First death of those five was Finnick, by accident. Johanna threw her axe at Cashmere's chest, but she quickly ducked which led to Finnick getting it lodged into his stomach.

 _Boom!_

His cannon went. Johanna got her neck slit from a shocking death that occurred. Cashmere thought only Chaff remained, but she was wrong. As he ran away, he was soon cornered by Cashmere and Enobaria. Enobaria took no time to shove her short-sword into his neck. The male from Eleven fell on the floor just trying to remove the sword from his neck. What could he do? One hand wasn't enough to pull a weapon like that out.

Cashmere took no time to jump onto Enobaria who tried to make small-talk her way out of the situation. Turning her around, Cashmere repeatedly made scratches on the back of her head tracing down to her lower back. She wrote so small, and took forever to finish that the girl died before she even finished.

''Cashmere, Victor of the 64th and 75th Hunger Games''

Too bad she didn't live long enough for these games. What a wonderful mentor she would have been to these sorry excuses of District One tributes. Wouldn't it be fascinating if she returned? Maybe there will be a quell when dead Victors are brought back to life and compete again. I would love to see Cashmere compete. The beauty, the intelligence, the attitude. Now that's a Victor. She was what we wanted. She was our second Kitana.

For the 100th games, our tributes were all crippled. As devious as that sounds, those games were pretty interesting. Watching all those handicapped tributes was hilarious! I don't even know how we even got a Victor out of those games. I expected each tribute to die while struggling to get off of their pedestals. They all had to crawl and arriving to the cornucopia was so difficult for them.

The gamemakers were generous that year and put wheelchairs in the middle of the cornucopia. I couldn't stop bursting into tears from laughter when I saw the careers push the outer District tributes out of their wheelchairs. They all fell and pushed the wheelchairs on top of each other. One of the idiots was suffocated by a wheel chair.

Eventually those games ended in a bore. I mean, mutt attacks don't really interest the Capitol as much as watching the tributes kill each other in a violent way. The girl from Seven had a lucky victory by making her way to the cornucopia before the boy from Nine did. Slow pokes, aren't they?

It wasn't all their fault; they were crippled, after all. Just watching those games over and over again brought an enormous smile onto my face. I just.. I'm sorry, I need a minute. Ha ha!

Our one hundred twenty-fifth games was adults only. We had nineteen and up tributes go against each other. Surprisingly, there were no elders. They all came from the career Districts, and any career who didn't get his or her chance to volunteer before jumped to the stage and did so.

Unfortunately, a career didn't win. Some tribute from Eleven did. Apparently, he had been tortured all of his life. He saw his sister get shot by a peacekeeper, he was whipped multiple times, his best friend was hung, and the only person left with him was his mother as his father was never around to follow along during his life.

Pain was just a word to the twenty-two year-old who had been reaped. Surprisingly, he was impressive with a quarterstaff. The games didn't phase him one bit; he had been used to seeing people die, and it just removed all emotion from his body.

He was an emotionless tool to the Capitol. How unforgiving.

The one hundred and fiftieth games were something special. We had a group of twenty-four tributes all fight in the arena to the death in every District. The last two remaining tributes, one boy and one girl each, had to go into the actual arena and fight with the strongest of the other tributes. Would you be surprised if I told you that a career won?

I doubt that you would be. Bloodthirsty Lyon from District Four won. Way to go, buddy. You finally got your District a Quell victory. It was nothing special, really. The boy just had the skill. I mean, he killed his own best friend to get to where he is today. Did you think he'd be any hesitant against total strangers? He even killed his own partner during the bloodbath!

Savage life.

I slowly get up from my chair, thinking about this years Quell. I already have a group of tributes that I'll keep in mind. None of them will disappoint me, I already know. I need to ask Gari, though. My number one Victors opinion is more important to me than any Capitolite's in this damn nation.

I just want to know his opinion on these tributes. It's not as if I'm rigging the votes or anything, but I'd love if these were the ones I got. Oh, I cannot wait until these games start. Happy Hunger Games!

See you all in a couple of days. My poor little lab rats.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter. I'll do one more prologue chapter, and then the fourth will probably be the tribute list if I get the submissions in. Hopefully you all submit more. The females have been getting tons of competition. Thank you all for submitting! Hopefully I can get a couple more male tributes in quickly. I really want to start these games.**

 **For those of you who have submitted to past games before the one hundred twenty-fifth, do you guys mind changing some family? Well, not changing, but more like adding. I doubt if you died in the third games that your main family would still be alive. So, could you guys possible tell me if there's any remaining family, like say that son of your brothers daughter's son? Sorry if that might have been confusing. I don't need anything major, just a quick note. Like their name, and personality. Nothing more than two sentences. :)**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. I can't wait for the rest of these submissions to get in so this story can get underway. I'll see you all in the next chapter. Let me know your opinion on this chapter. If there's anything you thing I need to fix, or whatever it is you might want to say.**

 **Please go check out FlawlessCatastrophe's new SYOT. It's called The Second Capitol Games, and it's really interesting, in my opinion. Brooke is a great writer, and you all will be satisfied. I promise, you will not be disappointed. You should all go submit tributes, I promise that you won't regret it.**

 **Another story you guys should check out is All-Stars: The 300th Games by IVolunteerAsAuthor, also known as Caleb. He's an incredible writer, better than myself if I say so. You should all really check it out, even if you don't have a tribute in the story. He's hilarious, and a cool guy to talk to. He won't disappoint you with his writing. There's like one spot in his story left, I believe and that's the District Eleven female, just in case you guys want to submit. :)**

* * *

 **Did you like Milo?**

 **I forgot to ask this, but did you like Gari?**

 **Which Quell idea was your favorite besides the 25th-75th?**

 **Which Quell idea was your least favorite besides the 25th-75th?**

 **Thanks for reading, I'll see you all in the next chapter. Bye! :)**


	3. What A Lovely Bunch of Tributes

**Prologue Part Three:**

* * *

 **Helen Bengel, 19;**

 **President of Panem's Daughter**

Ugh! Come on, dammit. Class is taking forever. All these kids piss me off, the teacher pisses me off, and so does the whole damn community at this school. I just don't want to be here at this time. I mean, school sucks. Why do I need to attend it? Sure, my father is the President and all, but that should only give me a reason why NOT to attend it.

I look around the class and watch as all the idiots are staring straight at the teacher while he lectures on and on about calculus. Like, I couldn't give a damn about calculus. What the hell am I gonna use math for in life, anyway? Nothing!

I just need to get back to my daddies mansion so we can speak to Gari about- Gari... Oh, isn't he just dreamy? I can't help myself but think about him all the time. In class, when I'm alone, in the shower... Is that weird? I don't think it's weird.

I look towards the back of the class where the class clown is chewing on his pen cap. The idiot's spitting gum at the other students in front of him, and cracking jokes while the teacher is focusing on tonight's homework. I honestly couldn't care less about anything or anyone in this class, but damn that kid is annoying. I swear, he hits on all the girls in the class but gets rejected.

What a loser.

He begins to place gum from under the desk in some boy with sea blue hair's head. The boy doesn't notice until he rips it back out, and the boys hair rips a little. He instantly turns around and punches the boy in the face. ''You annoying little prick!'' He shouts.

I can't help but to giggle at his words. The boy holds onto his mouth and you can hear a crack every time he opens up his mouth. The teacher quickly stops to yell at the uneducated children, and I stare at the clock as it almost hits one. Come on, come on!

 _Ding ding ding!_

The bells finally ring and I quickly grab my purse along with my make up and rush out of the classrom. I start to stumble in my high heels, but quickly catch myself; It's hard to control myself in these shoes. I'm wearing a beautiful, dark blue dress with the Capitol symbol on them. I see all the boys staring at my legs as I strut across the hallways. I mean, I don't blame them. Someone as beautiful as I am can't help but be recognized.

I finally walk out of the front doors and smile as I get into my car. Oh how I cannot wait to get to the mansion. As I move through traffic, I take a second to stop and call Gari to know if they've figured out the tributes who all died first during the games.

''Hello?'' He says as if he didn't know it was my number.

''Hey cutie! I just wanted to know if you've figured out all the tributes who died first during all these games?''

''What?''

''Did you clean up the decayed bodies of all the dead tributes?''

''Um, who is this?'' He says.

I stop for a second and think about what he just said. Does he really not recognize my voice? It's me, Helen!

''It's Helen! The President's daughter? Your _Girlfriend!''_

''Girlfriend...? OH! Hey, babe! Uh, sorry. Um, yeah, we've finished them all already.''

''Okay, great! So who's your fav-''

''Sorry, I gotta go. See you when you get to the mansion, bye!''

I remove the phone from my ears and stare at it. Did he just hang up on me? Maybe he was busy. T-That's what it must have been...

I finally make my way to the mansion after about thirty minutes and step out of my vehicle. Not everyone is as blessed as I am. Having a rich father, a beautiful body, and a Victor boyfriend who loves you with all his heart!

I open up the double doors and walk straight inside. ''Hello?'' My voice echoes throughout the entire house. I walk upstairs and open the door to my dad's office; no one's inside. I take a look into the files of the dead tributes who died first during their games—almost everyone over the age of twelve—were lined up by the order of their District's.

Interesting group we have here... I'm not one to care much about these lame tributes, but something about each of them gives me the creeps. There's one boy from Two, and he's a complete psycho. His District partner isn't. I kind of feel bad for her. She lost her baby to the father... Wow.

These tributes are something else from regular ones. I'm not gonna lie though, even the simplest tasks during the games—running off a pedestal, grabbing a bag, and getting out of the bloodbath—were nearly impossible for these tributes who just couldn't manage to survive. Especially the careers! How do you die first when you're a career? Aren't you trained for stuff like that?

I leave the room and walk into the next that I think they might be in: The scientists room. That's where I find Gari and my father speaking. Neither of them realize that I'm there and they continue to speak while scientists finish up polishing the machine that will apparently bring these tributes back from the dead. It's a small remote control looking device that is portable. I look in awe as they continue to work and listen to the conversations at the same time.

''District One is nice.. I love Parvati.''

Who the hell is Parvati and why is Gari talking about her like she's the love of his life? ''Isha is a good tribute as well. I can't wait to see her in action.''

Who the hell are these girls?! I walk straight up to the two and begin to speak. I ask them about their day and how they're doing. You know, all the unimportant stuff. Anything important for either of these two has to do with muah. I mean, what else is important?

''So... Did you guys finish up preparing all of the tributes for revival?'' I ask patiently.

''Yeah,'' says Gari. ''Have a look at this diagram of our favorite tributes. This doesn't necessarily mean that they're gonna be chosen, but have a look.''

He points over towards the large television, and I walk closer. I look straight at the monitor and analyze each tribute one by one. Their faces, their strengths and weaknesses. Many of these tributes are very approachable, but what's their personality like?

As I go down the list, I can't help but love all of their names.

 **Tributes**

 **District One**

 **Male:** Hero Kane

 **Female:** Parvati Hallows

 **District Two**

 **Male:** Asiryn Katchet

 **Female:** Isha Levine

 **District Three**

 **Male:** Carter Abrahms

 **Female:** Paisly Flannel

 **District Four**

 **Male:** Domino Reath

 **Female:** Seraphina Royal

 **District Five**

 **Male:** Levi Wyatt

 **Female:** Enigma Lilac Brine

 **District Six**

 **Male:** Challis Damask

 **Female:** Anaya Akira Celtic

 **District Seven**

 **Male:** Orion Aquarius

 **Female:** Eudora Bayard

 **District Eight**

 **Male:** Nathan Evans

 **Female:** Candice Davenport

 **District Nine**

 **Male:** Lark McGlacen

 **Female:** Zahra

 **District Ten**

 **Male:** Julio Calline

 **Female:** Mickaela Robenson

 **District Eleven**

 **Male:** Quartz Fields

 **Female:** Brysia Sanders

 **District Twelve**

 **Male:** Cia Arongnan

 **Female:** Sashen Baize

What an interesting group... Huh? I wonder how they're gonna fair against each other.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who submitted! These submissions came in faster than I expected them to. They beat my last SYOT submissions by a mile! I'd like to thank you all, and I can't wait to start this story in it's actual way! I've got a decent amount of bloodbaths, so that makes me happy because less of the beautiful ones have to die quickly. :)**

 **Ugh! I loved all of your submissions, and I can't thank you enough. This is gonna be one fun ride. I'm making a blog for all these tributes, so you can check that out once I'm done. I'll put up a post in a couple of chapters so that you can see their strengths, weaknesses, face-claim, all that good jazz.**

 **I'd just like to say sorry if your tribute wasn't accepted. I had way too much competition for the female spots, and many of these tributes had to change genders because of that. Hey, at least you have a tribute to submit to another SYOT. I bet you they'll make it in. I would have chosen them, but like I said, there's a lot of competition for these spots and that makes me so happy that people submit!**

 **Expect to see the reapings start sometime between tomorrow and Saturday. I will upload quickly as I possibly can. This stories gonna be different from my last SYOT and I'm thinking about longer chapters like how I did at the end of it. Hopefully you'll all enjoy that, and I'm glad that you're still reading! Thanks once again, love you all! :3**

* * *

 **Did you like Helen?**

 **Opinions on Helen and Gari?**

 **Do you find anything suspicious going on?**

 **Which one of these is your favorite tribute name besides your own tributes'?**

 **Which is your least favorite tribute name?**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, I can't wait to start. I'm basically working on the reapings right now and can't wait to upload them. I might have District One's by tomorrow, maybe. Hopefully I will because I'm pumped for this! Thanks once again to all of those who submitted! Four days isn't bad, huh? :) Have a wonderful day! Bye!**


	4. Back From The Dead, I See?

**SecondChanceHG. Weebly. Com**

* * *

 **Reapings Part One:**

* * *

 **Gari Salvatore;**

 **District One Mentor**

Wow, today's the day. The day when the reapings start. To be honest, I'm kinda excited. I wonder which tributes will be reaped. Hopefully Parvati is one of them. I absolutely love her, but dying first? Honey, you messed up. Either way, whoever these tributes are I'm gonna push them to their limits and beyond. I don't care what anybody thinks about that. We can't have the other District's thinking that District One sucks. That just wouldn't be right.

I stretch up from my bed and yawn. I have no idea where my shirt is.. Or my pants.. Or who the hell this girl sleeping next to me is. Maybe I had a hangover. I mean, every Victor has one. It's not bad. Maybe we had a one night stand, but I honestly don't care.

I quickly get up and walk slowly towards the bathroom. I begin to trip over myself and I have a huge headache. My brain is pounding against my skull, and I just don't feel all that well. Once I open up the door the first thing I see is multiple bottles of alcohol. Did I have another party? I don't remember a damn thing!

Most of them aren't finished, and the others are cracked against the floor. Some blood lies right in front of my toilet, and I'm guessing there was a fight. I put some toothpaste on my brush, and open up the water. I start to brush my teeth, and then I hear noises. I slowly open the door and the girl is still sleeping. I look up; nothing's on the ceiling. Maybe it was all in my mind.

I finish up and spit everything out. I gargle some mouth wash and then spit it out. I feel so dirty and disgusting right now, and my hair's all messed up. _This is the last time you're having a hangover,_ I think to myself, but I know that's a lie; I'm gonna have plenty more of these in the next couple of months.

I open up the curtain to my golden colored shower, and step into the diamond encrusted tub. I feel something heavy on the ground, and before I know it, someone wakes up. They begin to scream at me after I step on their leg, and push me off.

I tumble off of the tub and stare up at the person. ''Oh my god, Gari! I'm so, so sorry!'' I stare up at the person while holding my head, and don't say a word. They quickly run out of the bathroom, and I hear their footsteps down the spiral steps. I ignore everything that just happened and take a quick shower.

The silver colored shampoo with diamonds in it rubs against my hair nicely, and puts it back in place. I finish everything up, and put on my bathrobe. As I walk out I notice that the girl isn't there anymore. My clothes are picked up from the floor and are neatly folded onto my bed. I walk over to my lamp bed and read the note she left me.

I can't help but smile at it. Maybe she filmed it. Ha, it doesn't matter because I've got her number. Anywhere and anytime, honey.

I take out the clothes for this year's reapings. I don't feel as though I have to dress fancy because, well, I'm a Victor. Everybody knows what that means: most respected, highest in the economy, and most charming person to be around, and that's exactly what I am.

I put on a blue and gold striped polo shirt accompanied by honey brown, skinny khaki's. Once I finish up, I lace up my teal low-tops and rub the silver lining on them. After I finish, I decide to head out. There's no reason for me to stick around the Victors' Village because it's almost time for the reapings.

Exactly twenty minutes left, actually.

I walk down my spiral staircase and rub against the weapons hanging on my wall. I open up the door and walk down the streets of the neighborhood. There are multiple houses that are occupied, and also multiple houses that are abandoned and waiting for the next tribute from One to move into it.

I pass by my partner, Reese's, house. She's a lovely woman if you ask me. We've never argued or had any type of disagreement. In fact, she loves me with all of her heart. I don't blame her, I mean, who wouldn't love Gari Salvadore?

She's still inside of her home from what I can tell, but I don't bother to knock on her door. The peacekeeper's don't care if she's late. She's one of the most beloved Victor's in all of Panem, and peacekeeper's attacking or killing her would cause a major riot. Same goes for me.

I make my way to the middle part of the neighborhood. That's one thing that I hate about where they placed me: I live on the backside of the neighborhood. Jesus...

I remember not seeing anybody inside of the home. Oh right, I live alone. I bought mom and the rest of the family their own home outside of the Victors' Village because I wanted privacy. Damn. Why do I keep forgetting about that? It's almost as if I have Alzheimer's or something. Ha! Imagine if I did. Oh how I'd be a pity...

I get to the gate of the neighborhood and make small-talk with the gatekeeper. What a lovely woman she is. Hmm, maybe I can get her into bed, too. What do you think? I mean, I've practically had every girl in District One in my palace, and none of them mind because I'm who? Oh yea, that's right, Gari!

''Hey Gari,'' she says. ''How was the morning?''

I look straight into those beautiful hazel eyes of hers that sparkle in the sunlight and get closer. I lean against the podium she stands behind and give her my most charming smile that I possibly can. She begins to blush and I repeatedly make a face to get her to chuckle.

''Great. How was yours? A beautiful lady such as yourself must've had a wonderful man to wake you up, right?''

She looks at me and blushes even more; her face as red as a tomato. ''Oh, Gari. You know that I'm not married. I'm still young, and you know that.''

She's right. I'm pretty sure she's only five years older than I am, but I wouldn't mind marrying her. I mean, I do have a thing for older women. As long as she doesn't mind me maybe having an affair from time-to-time.

''I keep forgetting,'' I try to flirt. ''I just figure every time that someone as lovely, and charming, and well-raised, and beautiful, and as wonderful as you would have a man. You know, if I was a little bit older I would have asked for your hand in marriage a while ago. Would you have accepted?''

She looks at me and begins to laugh. It's not a, 'You wish you could get this' laugh, but more of a 'I definitely would, but I'm too old for you' laugh. She smiles and tells me to get out of here. I follow her instructions carefully, and blow her a kiss on my way out.

As I move out of the Victors' Village, I look back at my watch. About thirteen minutes left to go, huh? It doesn't matter much to me because they won't do anything. I could show up an hour late, and they wouldn't have done anything except tell me that I'm late. But who in their right mind would dare speak to me like that? I'd slit their throat in an instance.

I walk past the swarm of District One citizens who all yell out my name and tap my shoulders. I give them all a charming smile while trying to make my way past them. I run out of the crowd and smile at their chants and screams.

''GARI!''

''I LOVE YOU, BRO!''

''TRAIN THESE TRIBUTES WELL!''

''I WANT YOUR BABIES!''

Ha, that last one might come true if she's lucky. I finally make my way to my favorite food shop in One, Lorenzo's Luxurious Restaurant. As soon as I arrive there, he begins to close up. I give him a look from behind, but he doesn't see me.

I quickly run over towards him and tap on his shoulder. He turns around, shocked to see me. He shouts my name and gives me a large hug. ''Come in, come in!'' I don't even have to say a word for him to know what I want. Before I can even open up my mouth, he quickly grabs my favorite breakfast meal and gives it to me.

''How'd you know?'' I ask.

''You're my favorite customer,'' he says. ''Before you were famous, and still after.''

I smile at him and finish up my scrambled eggs. After that I take a bite out of the blueberry muffin and finish up the sausages. I quickly eat my bacon and drink the coffee. I thank him, and quickly run out of the shop. I didn't finish my meal, but there's no time for that because the reapings start in five minutes.

I sprint down the empty streets of District One and look up at the diamond banters that they've hung up over the large screen. I watch as Lorenzo and other shopkeeper's make their way to the Square and stand in the lines where adults and children under the age of twelve stand.

I make my way up the stage and get a beautiful standing ovation from the audience. I wave my hand up into the air, and smile at everyone. The other Victors behind me begin to clap as well, and I take my seat next to Reese. The first thing I notice, though, is a large amount of coffins being placed across the stage with the tributes' names on top of it. I wonder who they will be.

''So, are you excited to be mentoring?'' Reese asks me. I take a deep breath and smile at her.

''You already know,'' I say. ''I'm pumped!''

''Good boy.'' Reese pats my shoulder.

The escort for One comes out and begins to speak. I didn't pay attention to her name, nor do I care, but I just stare at the large screen as Panem's video plays. They show a recap of all District One Victor's and end with me. I smile while I watch myself killing multiple tributes, and the audience laughs.

The video ends and the escort puts her hand in the girls' bowl. ''Ladies first, as usual!'' She says with a bright smile. She unwraps the name of the girl in the envelope and I see a sample of blood on the cotton like structure. She turns around and winks at me. Ha ha, she wants this.

''Parvati Hallows,'' she says.

Yes! I've wanted to mentor her ever since I saw her photo. A group of Capitol scientists all come up to Parvati's coffin and slowly open it up. They flip a switch on this remote looking device and zap it into the coffin. A gold light flashes from the coffin and there she sits up.

''What the hell?!'' she yells. ''What's going on?!'' She looks all around, not knowing what to do, and she sees the smile of everyone. ''Where am I? Who are you people?''

The escort slowly walks towards her and begins to laugh. ''Sweetie, you have been reaped back into the games. You died first in your last one, and you're in a Quarter Quell.''

I stare with my arms crossed as Parvati's face goes numb. She doesn't say a word, but just stares out into the distance. ''I-I've been revived?'' The escort calmly shakes her shoulder, and you can see a smile crack on Parvati's face.

''So you're telling me that I get to go back, and compete once again in the Hunger Games?'' Parvati asks. We all smile gently at her and nod our heads. ''Ha ha! Good, good. I can't wait to compete!''

The scientists help her get up, and she stumbles a bit. I guess resting isn't all that since you lose your sense of motion. She trips a bit, but quickly gets the hang of it. I smile, and watch as the escort pulls out an envelope from the boys' bowl.

Parvati stares at the escort and mumbles to herself. ''Hero Kane!'' The escort says. I quickly stand up and peer over as they open up a coffin to the far right of the stage and blast it. You hear a small groan, and a boy who's almost as good-looking as me sits up.

''What? Who are you guys, and what's going on?'' he asks suspiciously. He turns around, looking at everyone in a shocked way. His mouth is gaped open and he just stares out into the open. His head twitches, and he turns to Parvati.

''We're both in a Quarter Quell. We both died first in our games, and we've been reaped back into them. I don't know which Quell this is, but I honestly don't care. I'm just ready to get back into that arena,'' she smiles.

The boy grins at us and starts to chuckle. ''Alright!'' he cheers. ''Oh, God, I can't wait to get back into that arena. I just can't wait! I'm gonna do it this time, I'm gonna win!'' Then his face turns to me. He smiles, and I smile back. Damn I can't wait to see what these tributes can do!

''Here are your tributes for District One,'' the escort smiles. ''Parvati Hallows and Hero Kane!'' The crowd goes nuts and roars at the two good-looking tributes. Parvati especially. I stand up and walk towards the two. I place my arms around both of their shoulders and bring them back towards where I was sitting. I introduce them both to Reese, and they smile at her.

I take them both towards the Justice Building, but stop right before they enter. ''Don't mess this up!'' I grin at them in an uncertain way. ''You've both fucked it up for us once, don't do it again.'' They both nod their heads at me and I let them off.

Once I'm done with them, District One's gonna have another Victor and we're gonna be back on top. Just wait, you'll see. We're getting back on that career board, and nobody is going to stop us. Nobody.

* * *

 **Sianna Cartwright;**

 **District Two Mentor**

As I'm waking out of the Victors' Village, I can't help but become curious as to which tributes will be chosen. I won't mind any of them because I'd love to help them overcome their tragedies. Just... It's sad, you know? Having a District Two tribute die first in the games? I just don't feel comfortable with that, and it makes me feel pity for them.

District Two tributes have always been known to be the most bloodthirsty and killer tributes out there. It's almost everyday when one of us return home and make our families proud. That's why we're known as the most important District out there. We've been number one ever since the beginning of the games, and District One has always been number two, but now they're, like, number four?

I know that Seven has passed them. Seven might as well become a Career District after their performances over the years. It's crazy how they've developed over time, but I can't argue with their success. It did come down to two tributes from Seven and I, so that's not an argument that I want to put up with.

Killing them wasn't fun, though, I'm not gonna lie. They both had blood dripping from their mouths after they killed other tributes just wanting to get home. Getting angry wasn't their smartest strategy, though. That's what led to their downfall, and my Victory Tour.

I look up at the shop television as I finish up my breakfast. They're playing the recaps of Griffon's games. How he destroyed his competition, and how he's compared to Gari. I don't think Gari's all that. He had fifteen kills, but that's because the competition was weak, but you know what? He got a lucky games.

If I had volunteered for the games he was in I probably would have ended up with twenty-three kills. If anything, I would've enjoyed to be in those games, but I wasn't. My games have ended and now I have to help mentor these tributes.

I watch up on the television as Griffon repeatedly stabs the girl from Six in the mouth with a knife at the cornucopia. She's screaming for help, and everyone is just watching as the bloodthirsty boy rips her lips off. He laughs as he places the knife into her skull and throws her lips toward the boy from Nine's face. The boy gets blinded and Griffon waste's no time to tackle him onto the floor and do the same thing.

It wasn't much of a surprise that he won. Who the hell would anyone have expected to win besides him? I finish up my croissant and drink the rest of my milk. I stand up slowly, and patiently as I pay the check and walk out of the restaurant. As I move away, I catch the eyes of families staring and smiling at me.

I wave playfully to them all and laugh as they wave back. I love the wonderful people we have in this District. They're all just playful and want to get to know you, and I don't mind that. Maybe some are just lonely, or want some expert advice.

Either way, I'm here for them all.

I make my way towards the Victors' Village and sit outside of the gate as I wait for time to come when I have to get to the Square. It's not much of a wait because I have about an hour remaining. I shouldn't have woken up so early because now I've forced myself to be bored. There's nothing interesting to do to be honest.

I look up into the sky and lie my back on the warm grass. I let myself fall into light sleep where all I think about is how I won my games. I'm not gonna lie and say I won with no problem, because I didn't. My games were actually pretty hard. I almost got killed by the hands of my own ally at night; they mistook me for another tribute.

I couldn't help but feel scared of the tributes that I had been partnered with. It just didn't seem to make sense for me. Why was I so afraid of the ones I trusted? I shouldn't have been. I was the strongest among them all, but I still seemed to be a bit hesitant and scared of them.

They all knew me as leader, and neither of them dared to mess with me until _that_ night. _Stop!_ My mind goes blank all of a sudden. What did I think 'Stop' for? I'm telling you, something just wasn't right with winning. I've heard from other Victors that life wasn't all that it seemed after winning. Many turned to being the President's person slave, prostitutes, and even custodians in the Capitol.

Like, you've got to be kidding me. Jobs like that just don't seem to match a Victors' perspective. I would hate for that to happen to me. I haven't been given a job besides mentoring, and if I get one that I would hate... I don't know what I'd do.

Killing the President wouldn't seem like a smart idea, and neither would running away from the Capitol. They'd have scouts everywhere and news reporters following my every movement and letting them all know that I'm causing a rebellion, and then they'd take me out.

Fortunately for me, I'm not one of those Victors. Maybe I'm just different? I'm not one of those bloodthirsty careers. I just volunteered to make my family proud. Mom and dad gave me the most love and affection that I've ever received in my life after a won.

My brother became jealous, and all of my friends mooched off of my victory. I thought that I had an actual family that loved me for me and not just for me winning the games. I also thought that I had actual friends who loved me for being nice, sensitive, and caring, but I guess not.

Am I the only Victor who has this problem? I feel as though I am, and it really hurts on the inside. ''Get up!'' I hear a voice grunt above me. I quickly open up my eyes and stare up as Griffon hovers over me and smiles. He taps my head, grabs my arm and lifts me up.

I jump up and pull my shirt down. ''Hey,'' is all I can muster out of my mouth. He smiles at me and poses his left hand on his thigh and peers his head out towards me. He just stares at me and smiles. I don't need to say anything because Griffon understands every single one of my expressions. We get each other, and that's just how it is.

''What's wrong?'' he asks.

See? He already knows that something's bothering me, and I honestly don't feel like telling him even though we're, like, best friends. I stay quiet and let my head look down onto the ground.

''Who did it? Who the fuck hurt you this time?!'' Griffon raises my head up. I look straight at him and shake my head. I pretend as if nothing's wrong. He puts on a straight face knowing that I'm lying, but he blocks it away. He understands that nobody is bothering me, but something is.

He holds my hand and waves it back and forth as we begin to walk towards the Square. ''You ready to train these tributes?'' I look at him and he nods. He smiles that cute smile of his and I place my head on his shoulder.

We make our way towards the Square and mount the stage. Nobody is here yet besides us and a couple of other Victors. Once another Victor sees us, she motions her hand for us to come near her. I smile and look up at Griffon who doesn't say a thing. We both walk towards her and enter a room in the Justice Building.

Apparently there's a meeting going on, but we weren't informed of this. I'm guessing that it was a last-minute thing. The sun lights up the entire room from the window, and I stare at all the other Victors glistening in the sun.

The mayor of Two is here and is telling us about the how the tributes are going to be reawakened. Apparently the Capitol scientists have devised a remote that will reawaken the dead tributes. To be honest, I'm not really psyched about this Quarter Quell.

Why bring back dead tributes just to kill them off again? That's ridiculous! I don't.. I-I just don't like it. Why would the Capitol do such a thing? Don't get me wrong, I find the regular games disgusting and inhumane, but bring them back? And just to torture them even more than you already did the first time around is just despicable.

I can't help but let a tear drip down from my eye. Everyone has already left the room, including Griffion, and here I am crying because of the terrible things that the Capitol is doing. I didn't even hear a thing that the Mayor said besides how the tributes will be revived. I'm just different from the other ones. All the other Victors from Two love the games. I don't. I... I just don't like them. I was forced to go into them because of my family, forced to kill because of the Capitol, and forced to return for the sake of my District.

I feel as if I'm alone. I'm the only person in the Career District's who actually cares about the poor tributes who die in the games. Why is this so? Why?! More tears stream down my face, and I can't help but make a little bit of noise.

I squeal like a popped balloon and that noise makes someone enter the room. I quickly stop and walk towards the window. As I stare up at it, I can sense someone walking towards me. Their hand is placed onto my shoulder, and I just... I just let the tears stream even more down my face.

''Sianna?'' That voice is only recognized as Griffon's.

I don't say a word, and just keep my eyes wide open. I stare out into the sunlight and slowly wipe them away with my left hand. Griffon quickly turns me around and stares at my eyes. He puts a shocked expression on his face and then begins to laugh. I smile at him and then I chuckle.

''What are you on?'' he asks curiously. ''I didn't know you were like that.''

I know that he's joking, but I can't help start to laugh even more. He grabs my hand and then begins to pull me out of the room. ''Come on, it's time for the reapings!'' His words automatically stop my laughing and I'm basically being carried out of the room right now.

When we both get outside we take a seat next to all the other Victors of District Two. I stare out into the crowd as everyone lines up one-by-one. I don't understand why they still have the tributes get their fingers pricked when none of them are going to get reaped, nor can any of them volunteer for these games.

The children all get into their sections and I watch as all the eighteen-year-old children pout their lips and look at each other in a furious way. One boy gets his finger pricked and just stares at the coffins up on the stage. As he looks, he tries to jump over the table and run up onto the stage, but to no avail. He quickly gets grabbed by the peacekeeper's and is pulled away.

''NO! LET ME GO! I WANNA KILL THEM!'' he shouts as he's being pulled away. ''THIS WAS MY TIME TO SHINE! THEY RUINED IT!''

I look straight at him, and then we make eye-contact. I begin to shiver, but then quickly snap out of it. I let out a huge sigh and watch as the escort, Pauro, walks out of the Justice Building and onto the stage. He taps the microphone and begins.

''Welcome, District Two,'' he smiles at everyone after pausing. ''As you know, this year's Hunger Games is all first deaths only. It's a shame, isn't it? I feel bad for you poor children who's last year this is. On the bright side, you might get to see them die again!''

After that, he plays a clip on the screen. It shows the Dark Days and how people were rioting and being shot down by peacekeeper's. After that, it plays various scenes of past District Two Victors. It plays up to Griffon killing a tribute from Twelve in the finale, and then it shows me stabbing the girl from Seven in the heart with a rapier.

''What lovely Victor's we have. Give a hand for Griffon Silversmith and Sianna Cartwright!'' The crowd gives us all a standing ovation, and then they're quieted by the escort. He wastes no time digging his hands into the girls' bowl and takes out the slip. He reads it in his mind at first, and then makes us all wait for a while.

''HURRY UP!'' A male voice is shouted from the crowd. The escort puts a disgusted expression on his face and then reads off the slip. ''Isha Levine,'' I watch as the scientists all walk up to the girl's coffin, open it up, and zap her with the remote.

I hear a groan and she slowly wakes up. ''W-What's going on?'' The escort walks over towards her and bends down. He speaks to her quietly and then walks away. She puts on an angered expression on her face and slams her fist down onto the coffin. ''Damn it, damn it, damn it!''

I watch as the poor girl bites her bottom lip with force and a little bit of blood drips from her mouth. She then quickly stops. ''Wait a minute...'' she says to herself. I watch as she thinks it over, and quickly picks herself from the coffin. She stumbles onto the floor and looks out into the crowd. Her eyes begin to twitch as she looks straight at one person.

She gets help standing up and says nothing more after that. I watch as she continues to twitch her eyes and mumble to herself. ''I have a chance... I can get her back... I can get Colette back... I-I-I can do it. They gave me a second chance... I can get my daughter back... Colette...''

Pauro digs his hand into the boys' bowl that's filled with only six envelopes. He pulls one from all the way at the bottom up and reads it. ''Asyrin Katchet.''

The scientists walk towards the farthest coffin and open it up. I look over at the handsome boy peacefully sleeping in his arena outfit. I stand up as they zap him with the remote and the boys eye's fly open.

''What the- Who the fu- Who the hell are you?!'' Asyrin says without an answer. ''Why am I here? Why are you standing over me?! Agh!'' The boy quickly sits up and grabs a scientist by the throat. He quickly brings him down upon him and sits on top of him. ''Oh, you didn't kill me after all! Ha ha, I knew I was too good to die! Where's my mace?! Oh well, I'll kill you with my hands!''

He begins to strangle the scientist and everyone gasps. I quickly run over towards the boy and pinch his neck. He begins to faint and falls on top of the poor Capitolite. I hold Asyrin up and assist the Capitolite out of the coffin.

''Your tributes,'' Pauro begins. ''Isha Levine and Asyrin Katchet!'' The District applauds weakly, and I motion Isha to come towards me. She soon follows without an expression on her face, and Griffon soon follows while holding Asyrin.

''So who are you people?'' Isha asks. I feel bad for the girl. She looks like she doesn't want to be here, yet it also looks like she's lost something valuable. Something important that she just cannot live without.

''Your mentors. You've been brought back for the Quarter Quell. It's all-''

''Yeah, I know. I've been told...'' Isha darts her eyes to the left, and doesn't say anything more after that. We bring her into the Justice Building and stand outside. Asyrin has been placed in a room with a therapist and Griffon and I just stare at each other. What's going to happen now?

Can we really manage to bring another tribute back? Isha deserves it, but is she ready? What about Asyrin? Are either of these two ready to live life again after what they've been through? I don't know, and I honestly don't want to find out. This is going to be a pain in my ass. Especially knowing that they both might die again.

* * *

 **Jianna Loleigh;**

 **District Three Mentor**

''You really ought to stop drinking, Jianna.'' I hear Shion's voice nagging me on. I know it's wrong, and that I shouldn't drink on a big day, but I just can't help myself. I'm not really even much of a drinker. I hate alcohol. The taste is just way too bitter for me, and I can't handle it. This is why I usually crash them on the floor.

Who knows? Maybe I'll get hungover.

I look up at Shion who looks me directly in the eye with a serious face. ''We've got to do good for these tributes, and I know how innocent you are with them, but this drinking problem that you have is gonna screw us up.''

What he says is so true. I don't even know why I continue. It's, like, something in my mind that tells me to continue even when I don't want to. Almost like drugs if you ask me. I feel like a Victor from District Six. I stare up at Shion's television as we watch past games. He wants to study films of what to do, and what not to do.

This is how he finds out the type of mistakes tributes do. I don't blame him. Maybe if I was sober I would be doing the same thing, but just watching the games right now doesn't please me. If anything, they make me want to throw up.

Throw up all over Shion's floor and watch as he cleans it up for me. Unfortunately, I can't do so. I stare up as he lectures me about how we've screwed up multiple times not bringing tributes home. I don't know why he continues to ramble on and on about the ones that died. It makes me feel terrible, but not now because, well, I'm drunk.

I begin to fall back and let my hair rest against the ground, the blood rushing to my head. I can feel it. I begin to chuckle as I spin around on his chair. I cross my legs together and stare at my high heels. These were so expensive from the Capitol and I'm probably gonna wreck them soon.

Oh, why do I have to mentor? There are only five of us Victors remaining in Three, but out of all the people chosen, I have to be there? Oh god, why don't they just make the seventy-year-old woman do it? I forgot her name... J-J-Jianna? _No, silly. That's your name._ Ooooooh.

I'm so sick of this to tell ya the truth. I stop spinning on the chair and become dizzy. I fall to the floor and lie with my hair covering my fragile skin. I brush my hair away and begin to giggle. Shion crouches right next to me and pats my head.

''You're a mess, aren't you?''

My bad. I can't help it. That's just how it is, y'know?

I look straight up at him and then drop my head back onto the floor. I just don't feel like doing anything right now besides taking a long deserved nap. If only I could skip the reapings, skip the mentoring, and skip the games, I'd be completely fine. When are they gonna make time travel? I can't stand to be doing the same thing year after year just to watch as the tributes I've gotten myself attached to die.

It's a terrible feeling. It's happened so many times, too. I remember little Ronnie a couple of years back. His death led me to drinking. I never thought about it before then. He was just so cute. The boy wasn't made for the games, he wasn't prepared. He had a wonderful life with an intelligent family, but he just wasn't capable of winning.

When he reached the final eight and his family was interviewed I felt so good about District Three because I thought for once, just once more that we'd be able to gain another Victor. But that wasn't the reason why I cheered. Ronnie was an innocent boy who didn't deserve to be put into these games. Watching him run away from mutts was cruel. Watching as he bumped into a group of four careers was scary. Watching as they all took turns stabbing the boy made me cry. His death led me into a deep depression that I couldn't escape from for three months.

I went through all five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and then acceptance. I was mad, I thought that it wasn't true. I continued to tell myself that Ronnie didn't die. He was still around, but he really wasn't. Then I became angry at myself and the Capitol. If only I had more time to help him, to better his weaponry and survival skills. If only I had thought to give the boy a better chance.

After that was me praying and trying to make a deal with God for the boy's return. I cried and cried, begging that he would come back. I asked for just one more day with Ronnie. Just one more day. After that didn't come, I remember feeling tired and annoyed. I stayed away from everyone and sat in one corner of my room for days. It just didn't feel right. It was like a piece of my heart was missing.

Then acceptance came. I visited his grave everyday for a year just to see the boy that I once cared about. Just to see that shy smile of his. Just to see that cute boy that I had known with the incredibly nerdy glasses. The boy who was never made for torture such as the games. The boy that I knew would never win. And that was that; there was nothing I could have done to bring him back.

I snap out of my daydreaming sequence and look up at Shion. His face solar under the sunlight, I was looking on as he cleaned the table—the shot glasses, the alcohol, and the silver plates full of bacon and eggs.

He seems to have stopped his bitching and finally let me be. He stares back and cleans the dishes while I watch. This life is hard, man. Being a Victor isn't at all what I've expected. Everything that I wanted wasn't allowed. Everything that I didn't want was.

I just don't enjoy this life anymore. I don't have it in me to kill myself because I know that I'd miss the ones that I love and they'd miss me as well. If anything, I should have died in the games. Being in the finale was scary. You know that two of you would die soon and that the gamemakers would have surely brought something to make the games end quicker.

Fortunately for me I caught both the other tributes off guard. I just don't enjoy this life though, and I don't think Shion does either. To be a Victor in District Three you have to master something called Knowledge—in effect, learn everything about your opponents, figure out their strengths and weaknesses, figure out which weapon is best for you, keep your allies close and abandon them when time calls for it, and never trust anyone you know you can't handle against.

These rules have been followed by every single District Three Victor that I can imagine. All the way from Honorius, the first ever Victor from Three, down to Shion who's our most recent Victor.

You know, I think I've began to become more patient for Three. I know that it's gonna be years before we get another Victor, and I'm not afraid to admit that. We're just not the amazing District that people would think. When these games first came, everybody thought that Three was gonna be a career District, but we're not, sadly.

What if we got a training center? What if District Three had tributes who were smart and strong? I would be incredibly happy with the results of the games if that were so. Tell me that smart and powerful tributes wouldn't win easily. You can't.

I brush away my brunette hair, look up, and smile at Shion who's completely done cleaning up. I've personally made him my best friend slash slave. Coexisting with him isn't all that bad. He's quite charming if I say so myself. The only thing is that he shows emotion to my idiocy. If he didn't then maybe we could've been even better friends.

Oh well, it doesn't matter. He grabs my arm and lifts me up. I stare straight at him, and he walks towards the door. ''Come on, it's about time that we go to the Square,'' I smile and drowsily walk over towards him while tripping over myself.

I continue to stumble on these high heels, and fall forward towards a hard table top. Shion quickly catches me and drags me out of the house. I watch as all the other Victors just stare at us and smile shyly. I wave, in my drunk manner, and smile at them all.

We reach the gate and slowly leave. ''Alright, alright,'' I begin. ''Lemme go, please.''

He lets go as asked and I ruffle up my hair. It's all over my face and I look like a complete mess. This is what life is like for your average Jianna, especially if it's me. God, why can't I get over all of this? I feel so useless right now. How am I going to help these tributes survive if I can't even help myself.

 _Maybe you can just watch as those idiots die in the arena a second time._ Agh! All these damn thoughts piss me off. I can't just let these tributes die. It's not in me to just give up on people like that. I'm not a cruel person, nor do I want to be.

If anything, I want to love these tributes with all of my heart and allow them to live. District Three has beautiful tributes who I know can win, but never do. We never fucking do!

We finally make our way towards the Square and I mount the stage. I look back towards the crowd filled with disappointed families and children. The eighteen-year-old tributes are all happy because they know that no matter what happens this year they won't be reaped; none of these tributes will be reaped.

In fact, I don't want any of them to be reaped. If I lost another pair of wonderful, living, breathing tributes I would go mad. I would probably swallow a whole container of pills or probably slit my wrist. I just don't want to lose another pair of precious children.

Seeing the fear in their eyes, and the tears streaming down their fat cheeks makes me cry. Just watching as they get cut up into pieces by an older tribute, and even betray themselves at times. It's just not meant for me. If anything, I'd rather take their place in the arena and fight for them. Maybe killing the other District Tributes aren't so bad. Maybe watching them die isn't so bad. Maybe me enjoying killing them isn't so bad!

I couldn't give less of a damn about all the other District children. The only ones that I care much about to even bother giving them advice, not because I have to, but because I love them are the District Three tributes.

If I could have just one more moment with all the ones that I've lost, I would make it the most memorable day of all of their lives. I would do anything for them; I'd steal, kill, love, do anything for the ones that I miss. Especially Ronnie...

I sit on the open, ruby colored chair that stands on the ground for me to sit on. I take the seat and watch as the other Victors soon fill all the spots. We were supposed to have a meeting but not all the Victors arrived on time. Our eldest Victor has just arrived after forty minutes of being here.

All of the tributes get their fingers pricked in their lines and stand at their assigned spots. I smile as the crowd stands quietly, and the escort walks out.

''Hello, District Three,'' he begins. It's the same old escort every year. We've had him for at least eight years now, and I'm kinda getting tired of him. Maybe I'll kill him, too. What do you guys say to that? ''As you all know, I'm Leffor Santina, your escort. You all already know the twist for this year's games, there's no need to explain. How about we watch the video of why we're in this situation that _you_ all caused?''

This ticks me off. I want to get up off of my chair and strangle him onto the floor. He's said the same thing for all of these years, and I get hostile year after year every damn time that I see this bitch!

The video plays and we watch as it shows Shion, our latest Victor, killing the final tribute of his games. They were both surrounded by mutts, and it was either Shion or the girl from Six. He repeatedly stabbed her in the chest and she cried out while scratching his face.

I almost felt bad for the poor little shit. If only she didn't go in such a cruel way. See? Brain is everything for District Three Victors. Shion has plenty of that, but I honestly don't. Brawn is something that I do have.

The escort picks up one of the many female envelopes in the bowl from the top and slowly unwraps it. I stare with my eyes twitching as I wait to figure out who the poor female to be killed during these games will be.

 _Just don't let her death be too rough, please._ I think to myself.

''Paisly Flannel.''

My eyes widen, but I don't know who the girl is. I have no idea why I'm twitching so much until the Capitolite doctors open up the girls coffin and zap her with a remote that flashes a gold light. The girl lifts her body up and looks around her. The audience stands quietly and stare at her.

''AHH!'' Paisly's screams echo throughout the entire Square. She quickly gets up out of her coffin and crawls away from the stage. She looks back at me and I smile at her. She begins to scream even more. She yells and yells, trying to get away from the crowd, but she's quickly pulled back in by Shion who picks her up.

''Why am I here? Please, tell me why? I thought I died! The two tributes from Four! T-They were torturing me. I-I was being stabbed in the face! I had multiple c-cuts. T-The... Why?!'' Paisly cries. Shion quickly embraces her into a hug and whispers in her ear. He tells her about everything that's going on, and she quickly understands. She stands there in shock and stays quiet.

The escort takes this time to call for the male tribute. ''Carter Abrahms,'' he announces. I watch as they lift up a coffin and zap a small boy with black hair. He peers up and rubs his eyes.

''MY PLATFORM!'' Carter yells. He begins to cry and scream. ''MOMMY, DADDY, NO! I DON'T WANNA GO INTO THE GAMES, I DON'T WANNA!''

He brings his head up and stares out at the audience. He quickly stops, wipes his tears away, and looks at the audience in disgust. ''Oh my God, you people?'' Carter quickly says after his royal meltdown.

''Why does someone as rich and handsome as me have to be put in a place with you despicable people? You peasants! Despicable. I hate all of you! Servant! Servant, get me a cup of ice cold water. Servant?!''

The boy is quickly told by the escort that he's in a Quarter Quell, and that makes Carter shut up. He peers up. A single tear drops from his eyes. ''Mummy? Daddy? My royal house... M-My servant! My luxurious life, you're telling me that all of that shit is gone?!'' We all nod our head at the boy and he gets up.

''Naw. F-Fuck this. Fuck you all. Fuck the games. Fuck your lives!'' Carter trips as soon as he gets out of his coffin. ''I don't give a damn. I hate all of you faggots. Leave me alone, I-I hate all of you!''

The escort tries to hold his hand. ''D-Don't touch me you little bitch! You slimy no good looking fuck! I don't want your sympathy. Get me to the damn Justice Building. I hope you all get raped in hell!''

He marches off into the Justice Building alone and I soon follow him. What a filthy scumbag! What type of child behaves like that? Who does he think he is. Just because he was rich before doesn't mean he could act like that! I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind.

''Your tributes, Paisly Flannel and C-C-Carter Abrahms!''

Paisly slowly walks towards the Justice Building and I pin Carter against the wall. ''You little shit! What the hell was that? You're lucky I don't shove my foot up your ass after such a disrespectful return!''

''Listen lady... I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I'm Carter Abrahms. Son of Laura and Hector Abrahms. Richest family in District Three.''

''Your families dead you little shit! It's been too many years for them to be alive! Now get your head out of your ass and stop acting like a little cunt that you are!''

He stops and looks straight at me. This foul-mouthed boy needs to understand, and I'm not tolerating it. If anything, I'll just leave him alone and give him no expert advice. Watching him die in the arena might not be all that bad.

I slam him harder into the doors of the Justice Building, open the doors, and push him inside. I quickly shut them closed and slide down the door and look up while Shion stares at me. I let out a huge sigh.

''I fucked up, didn't I?''

He just closes his eyes and face palms. I couldn't help it. Watching such a disrespectful child such as himself treat our District like that just made me snap. Maybe I'm not cut out for this. Maybe I should just give up on all these tributes that come my way. I'm tried. And to be honest, I'm done!

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, all! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Sorry for the long wait, I guess... It's been two days, but I wanted to get this out quick. Sorry if I don't update sooner, I got sick yesterday from... I don't even know what, but I might not update for a while. I finished up the website, btw! It's SecondChanceHG. Weebly. Com. I tried my hardest to make it as good as possible, but it didn't turn out the way I planned.**

 **To be honest, it looks like complete and utter ass, but that's because I suck at this blog stuff. I'm new, but that's not an excuse because I know a ton of people who are new to it and make excellent blogs, but I'm not the best at this stuff. Oh, and all of the pictures and stuff are for some reason located on the right side of the page. If that bothers you just minimize your page and it'll help, I think... Another thing, I changed some of the people that you guys put as Victors for certain games because a ton of people had someone from One or Two winning, and that was way too many Victors for those Districts, which would have made all the other District Victors at least like 50 each. Agh! Yes, all the reaping chapters will be like this. I find it much easier to do than writing twelve separate chapters for one damn reaping each. It takes way too much time, and with this I only have to post four and more people get to see their tributes quicker which I find fun.**

 **Sorry if you didn't see much of the tributes in this chapter. This is how it's really gonna be until the train rides, and then we'll have single POVs for each of them. I found this the easiest way to write the POVs because, I mean, writing dead tributes is weird. ''I rest in utter darkness not knowing what the hell is coming my way. All of a sudden, I wake up. Holy shit I'm alive! What am I doing here? What is this you say, a Quarter Quell? Naww, lemme go back to sleep!'' It's just weird to write it that way, and I wouldn't wanna do escorts because...Just no...**

 **Anyways, I've put up a poll. Go and vote for your five favorite tributes that you've seen just from the website. After all the reapings are done, I'll remake the poll and see if your opinions have changed on some of these tributes. Anyway, enough of me talking so much. Let me know what you think of this chapter, hopefully you liked it. If not, that's fine, let me know what I can improve on. Constructive criticism is always appreciated and helpful.**

* * *

 **Which POV was your favorite?**

 **What was your least favorite POV?**

 **Which tribute was your favorite of these six?**

 **Least favorite of these six?**

 **Favorite Victor so far?**

 **Least Favorite Victor so far?**

 **What was your favorite line of this chapter?**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, guys! I'll update as quick as I can, but I honestly don't know when that will be. Hopefully it won't be too long. Anyways, see you all until next chapter. Love you all, bye! :)**


	5. Poor, Poor Tributes I Almost Feel Bad

**Reapings Part Two:**

* * *

 **Brylan Wildur;**

 **District Four Mentor**

I let out a large yawn as I wake up. My bed is a complete mess, my bathroom is a complete mess, my closet is a complete mess, and so is every other part of my room. I remember after my victory I was asked if I wanted a servant to feed my needs and all, but I honestly didn't.

Why make someone do everything for you when you can do it yourself? Is it just me or am I the only Victor that isn't lazy? I probably am. Every other Victor has told me to stop being so nice. That being nice isn't gonna get you anywhere in the heart of the Capitol. That the only time they've seen my play mean is when I was in my games two years ago.

Most tributes from Four usually use something sort of like a trident or a spear, but I was different. Sure, I used a similar weapon to that, but it's not really as similar as most people would think. A harpoon is more of a weapon that you shoot out of a gun, but I liked it better as a melee. Either way it went, I won with that weapon and now it stands on top of my crystal encrusted mirror.

Usually when they play District Four recaps, I'm the only person that they show. I'm not one of those full-of-themselves Victors. In fact, I honestly don't appreciate them showing my recaps every single day. I'm always praised for my victory. People tell me that they love me, that I'm the best that they've seen ever since Finnick, and that really gets into my skin.

Finnick...

I'm always compared to Finnick because of our significance in the age that we both won. Yes, I won my games at fourteen, too. We were both one of the youngest tributes to ever win a Hunger Games, and that really brings pride to Four. They always tell me how similar I was to him, but I honestly don't see it.

They list us both as charming. We both apparently have that smile that the Capitol would just rain sponsors down on, but to tell you the truth, I didn't care much about the sponsors. They tell us that we both received some type of sponsor to help us. Finnick got a net, and I got a tranquilizer.

The only thing that's different about us is that he had a larger amount of kills than I did. I'm not sure how many, but I'm not interested at all. Finnick is overrated, and so am I to be completely honest with all of you. I just don't see what's so special about us.

I'm pretty sure he had to mentor at a young age just like I have to now. I'm only sixteen and I'm already mentoring tributes. I tried mentoring the other tributes last year as best as I could, but that kid from One went and stole their lives from them. I thought we had it in the bag that year with such a wonderful duo. They understood each other well and cooperated properly.

All that was taken on the third night when Gari shoved Trevor's tomahawk down onto his neck and then decapitated Kilah with Trevor's tomahawk. That just... That honestly pissed me off. I'm not gonna lie, if I didn't get so lucky with volunteering a year before Gari I would've died during his games. He's just too good.

Too good for me, too good for all the other Victors from the games. I think he'll go down as the best in history unless someone else compares to him. I don't think we're gonna have anyone getting anywhere as close as fifteen kills, though. I think Gari set the bar way too high, and that's it. Unless you've got some ape running around in the games killing tributes with his bare hands.

I get out of my bed and clean myself up. After brushing my teeth and a quick shower, I search through my closet full of clothes. There's honestly nothing that I want to wear right now. I'm just gonna show up to the reapings butt naked and see how they feel about that.

Screw that... I put on a light blue tank top that has 3D waves surfacing on an ocean. I wear gray cargos to match it with high tops that have District Four imprinted on them. I honestly don't feel like dressing up today.

I walk downstairs and my mom is cooking for the entire family. My dad sits at the right side of my chair, my brothers are fighting over french toast, and my sister is reading some type of book. I take a seat at the head chair where my dad used to sit, but ever since I won I've become the man of the family household.

''LET GO, IT'S MINE!'' Cory yells at Dimitri.

''No! You let go you irrelevant shit,'' yells Dimitri. ''I want it! You're so annoying!''

''WATCH YOUR MOUTH!'' Screams my mother from the kitchen.

I smile at them, and casually walk over to my mother. I kiss her on the cheek and tell the family that I'm going out. I don't feel like eating anything before the reapings because, well, I don't feel like something as tragic as the reapings is something I'd eat over.

They're a huge thing in District Four, but honestly, when these tributes are reaped they're most likely going to get booed by the crowd because of their failure. It's such a huge and disrespectful thing in District Four to have a tribute die first. There's nothing worse than dying first. Sure, making the final two and dying is terrible, but isn't it for every District?

I walk out of the double doors and close them on my way out. I see Amille walking out of her house, too. She lives so much further down from me, though. I walk over towards the gate and it quickly opens for me. I smile at the gatekeeper and he smiles back at me.

''Hey, Brylan,'' he greets me. ''How was this morning?''

''Same as usual, Thomp, same as usual,'' I sigh. He looks at me funny and already knows. It's not that I'm depressed or anything, it's just that the same thing happens every morning. You'd think my immature brothers would have gone through their annoying personalities, my mother wouldn't be so strict about everything, my sister would stop looking down at a book for one damn second, and that my father would... Well, I actually like the way my father is.

''What were they fighting about this time? Bacon? Eggs?'' That's the thing, though. They always fight over food. Who does that? I swear I don't understand their problems. I think they do it on purpose, but they probably don't.

''French toast,'' I respond swiftly.

I feel a soft hand touch my shoulder. Once I turn around I see Amille smiling at me. ''How was the morning? Did Dimitri and Cory argue again?'' I nod my head casually at her. She lets out a light chuckle and we walk out of the Victors' Village.

''Good luck, you guys!''

We nod and smile at Thomp as we leave. I look up at Amille who's taller than me. Am I really that short? I would've thought that I was the taller person, but I guess not. Looks like I have much more growing to do.

''What's wrong?'' Amille asks.

I shake my head and waive it away. If I tell her that I'm upset that she's taller than me she'll just laugh in my face. I've become quite fond of the District Four tributes. After winning my games, I was praised by all of them. They were all so kind and loyal to me because of how young I was. I never expected to be that famous around them, but they gave me gifts and everything I asked for even if I didn't want it.

Once we reach the Square, I look at all of these coffins carefully. I've never heard of any of these tributes before. _That's because they were disowned, idiot._ Why do I always say stuff like that to myself? I just don't understand my mind.

There are only four coffins in total. From what I can tell, there's one girl and three boys. It's just their names that give it away. Domino Reath, Carlos Nevett, and Squidward T. Ha, nice names... I take a seat down on the last open chair and put my fingers in the corner of my eyes while I wait for all of the children and families to get here.

I watch as all the teens line up behind the three peacekeeper tables. They all get their fingers pricked and walk to their age sections. I watch carefully as every eighteen-year-old frowns and begin to grow impatient and angry.

I honestly don't blame them; I would be mad if it was my last year and they told me I couldn't volunteer, too. My time as a tribute is done, though. They can't reap me, they can't tell me to volunteer, they can't tell me to do anything besides mentor these tributes because I've already won.

After all the teens get to their assigned sections, the escort comes out. I'm not gonna lie, he looks fruity as fuck. I can't help, but let out a light chuckle. He turns around and looks at me, but I avoid eye-contact. Once I look up, he's staring straight at me with a disgusted expression on my face.

''Welcome to another year, District Four,'' he starts off. ''You all know the drill for this year's Hunger Games. I'm not gonna get too much into this, so why don't we just play our lovely video?''

I look up at the large monitor and smile. It plays a video of the Capitol burning, shooting, and killing District people. I look in shock as they actually played a scene with a peacekeeper slicing a little boy's neck. I've never scene that before, and I'm guessing that the citizens of District Four haven't either because they all gasp.

I watch as the escort lets out a light laugh. How disgusting! After the poor boy, it shows the finale of every Victors' games. Mags placing a fish hook into a tribute's neck and pushing him towards a mutt, Finnick stabbing his District partner with a trident, Amille tossing two knives into a career girls neck; and me shoving a harpoon through my final opponents chest.

The video stops and the escort starts clapping. The whole crowd begins to clap as well and they give us all a standing ovation. I smile, but don't say anything. Amille holds onto my hand and presses tight against it. ''You nervous?'' she asks.

N-Nervous? No, I've done this before, I can do it again. I smile at her and shake my head. The escort walks over to the girls' bowl and picks up the one slip in the bowl. ''Interesting, isn't it? Seraphina Royal!''

I watch as the Capitol scientists all walk over towards the girls coffin and zap her dead body with a small remote that lets out a gold light. The girl gets up from her coffin and looks at everyone around her. ''What's going on? Who are you people? Why are you all staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?''

''Sweetie, this is a Quarter Quell. You died in your last games,'' says the escort. She looks around with her eyes wide open. Her lips begin to quiver, and she just doesn't understand what's going on. I don't think she even knows that she died. I remember watching her games. She was speared down by the District Two male because she was the only tribute who wasn't eighteen. She turns her head and stares at me. I put on a poker face and then smile at her.

''Domino Reath!''

I didn't even notice the escort picking up one of the boys' envelopes. The scientists all walk over towards the boys coffin and open it up. They zap the boy and he quickly sits up. ''What's going on?'' They all fill him in and he lets out a light chuckle.

''Oh, I'm totally ready!'' Domino says as he gets out of his coffin. He stumbles a little bit, but is helped up by the scientists.

''Your tributes for District Four, Seraphina Royal and Domino Reath!'' The audience applauds loudly at the words of the escort and look straight at the two tributes. They both turn to each other; Domino laughs. Seraphina looks at him with a poker face and doesn't say a word.

The escort brings the two tributes over towards Amille and I. ''So, I'm guessing you're our mentors?'' asks Serphina. I nod my head and she smiles. I see potential in her, but Domino just laughs at me.

''You're no older than I am and they chose you to train us?''

I look straight at the boy, but don't say a word. It's not worth it. If anyone has a chance of winning it for District Four, it's Seraphina. I've got my eye on her, and training with her is gonna be fun. Both of the tributes get put in the Justice Building and wait for people to come visit them.

I turn to Amille and she smiles at me. I smile back at her and then blush. ''I call Seraphina!''

She looks at me in annoyance and then begins to laugh. ''I wanted to get her, but I see why you wanted her, too,'' we begin to laugh and then we wait for the tributes to finish up their goodbyes. I honestly think that we can have a Victor here in District Four. I honestly do.

* * *

 **Kelsin Kin;**

 **District Five Mentor**

Ahh... What a lovely day. Not! I'm not interested for today. It's reaping day, again! Every damn year. You'd think that I've become used to it, but I'm not. I'm a sweet little girl who has to mentor other tributes who I know that will possibly die, and I don't want that.

It crushes my soul to see tributes who were just like me when I first entered my games. I was that shy girl who entered the games that was gonna die. Everybody knew it, everybody doubted me. They all knew that this twelve-year-old girl was going to get killed instantly.

Even if I didn't, I would get fucked over in the long-run. Not a single person believed that I would win; not even my mother and father thought I had a chance. My mother...well she had a little bit of faith in me. That's what counted for me. She actually rooted me on and begged everyone in Five to come together and help me out.

I actually got three sponsors from Five. I was so surprised. They actually began to have faith in me. They actually thought that I could win the games. I remember getting them on the sixth day of the my Games. It was so shocking because I swear I was about to die.

I had no help at all. Even my District partner abandoned me. The day when we went into our launch tubes, he looked at me with hatred in his eyes. I remember the exact words that he said to me before we entered them. _You're useless, you're gonna die. Just stay the hell out of my way!_ I cried that day.

Then they had the audacity to place him right next to me. He was to the right of me, and the girl from Eleven was on the left. He stared at me with bloodshot eyes, and I'm not gonna lie when I tell you that I was terrified. I thought that he was going to throw his token at my pedestal or something.

Once the gong rang, he ran straight towards me and pushed me to the ground. I felt so betrayed and it scared the crap out of me. I remember crying on the floor, balling my eyes out. I had gotten up after the bloodbath and saw my District partner crawling away from an older tribute who slashed his throat.

He twitched his fingers and pointed towards me, so I quickly ducked my head back into the floor. It was the only thing that I could've done at the time, and the tribute bought it. He walked away from me and I used that chance to get two bags and a kukri knife.

I remember staring into my partner's eyes as he faded away into an eternal slumber. I cried that night knowing that he wanted me to die. I just.. I couldn't handle it. Call me what you want, but I know you'd do the same thing in my situation.

I got my first kill two days after the bloodbath. The boy who killed my partner saw me from behind and tackled me to the ground. I yelled, screamed, scratched, and even bit him but nothing worked. He slammed a knife right next to my ear and I felt it bled out.

I screamed my lungs out just wanting someone or something to save me, then it hit me. I had a kukri knife on me. I took it from my pocket and watched as the knife made it's way into his neck and he choked on his own blood.

I stood there looking at him in shock. I couldn't believe what I had just done. He soon died and his cannon boomed. I walked up slowly to him, crying my eyes out. I placed my knees on his stomach and cried as I looked into his dead, open eyes. I sobbed on top of him and ripped my knife out of his neck.

I apologized to his dead body so many times. I didn't know what else to do. There was no way of resuscitating him, and I didn't want to put my lips on a dead man. It was just so scary. The next kill happened the day after. I was attacked by the girl from Eight, I don't even remember her name but she was psycho. She had blood on her lips and all over her body, so I was pretty sure she was the one who caused the cannon to boom earlier.

She clawed my neck and I cried. She was so happy to see my tears that she sampled them into her water bottle. I didn't know what to do, she was just... So evil! When she wasn't looking I had thrown my knife straight at her. The only weapon that I had got stuck in the back of her head and she twitched on the floor.

I quickly ripped it out and ran away. My last three kills all happened at the feast. Being the last person to arrive is never in your best advantage. Those last three kills just weren't worth it. I remember using the poison tipped knife that I got as a sponsor gift and stabbed them all in the shoulder.

Watching as they all fell onto the floor and held onto their shoulders as the poison coursed through their veins just destroyed me. This twelve-year-old girl actually won, and that was surprising to the Capitol. When I came back home, they all stared at me like I was some type of demon.

I cried for days, weeks even. It just wasn't right, and now I have to mentor two tributes who have already died once in their games? I... I just don't want to mentor. Last year when I mentored, our tributes were all killed by Gari. I... I hated him.

Why was he the loved one in the Capitol? Such a cruel Victor who does whatever he can to get the upper advantage and hurt others. I honestly think he's a scumbag. Ever since he watched my games, he continued to try to make contact with me.

It's been eight years since my games and that's all he brings up whenever we meet in the Capitol. All he does is try to get me into bed, yet I don't want to. He's just.. Such an ignorant boy. I can't stand to be around someone as terrible of a person as him.

When I came home after my Victory Tour, I had soon found out that dad committed suicide. It broke a gigantic hole into my heart, and I just didn't understand. I asked mom. I begged her to tell me that it was all a lie, and that she was just trying to prank me.

Then I realized that my mother wasn't a cruel person. She would never joke about something like that and she sobbed, too. She went into a deep depression and threatened to do the same, but I begged her not to. I begged my mother because she was the only one that I had remaining.

I had to take care of her, I just had to remove her state of depression and give her the best life that I possibly could. I'm just glad that she's out of it. If she were still in it, I don't know what I'd do. I'd cry and cry every single day of my life.

Maybe I'd take my life, too? I don't know, I don't want to. But I might if it comes down to it. Hopefully it doesn't because we've all got so much to live for. I know that everything is gonna get better. It has to.

Speaking of my mother, I watch as she walks down the staircase and smiles at me. She gives me a kiss on the forehead and tells me that she's heading out to the reapings early. I watch as mom—her chin held high—walk out into the streets of the Victors' Village.

I sit here quietly as I think about the tributes that we might get today. We've had multiple from District Five die first. It goes all the way back from Brea Cadwell to Demise Havelot. Sad to say, but we've had quite a few first deaths. We've also had quite a few Victors so it kinda balances it out.

I figure out that it's about time for me to head out and go to the Square. On my way there, I pass by multiple Victors. Most of them are older than forty, so that isn't too bad. I'm glad that we still have some young Victors. I mean, forty isn't that bad at all.

I walk out of the gate and make my way straight to the Square. There's no reason for me to stay here any longer because, well, there's nothing to do. I don't feel like eating, I don't feel like watching television or anything else, as a matter of fact.

I walk around the District, kicking rocks as I go. My hands are in my pockets, and I stare up into the sky that has smoke everywhere because of the plantations a couple of blocks down. I watch as the factories shoot smoke out of the chimney's and smile at the hard work that everyone puts into this District.

It makes me happy, but I also feel bad because while they work I'm over here living the luxurious life that every child in District One gets to live. I don't have to work but they do. I get everything I want for a super low cost, almost free sometimes, but they have to buy everything at the highest cost there possibly is.

Ripoff or not, this District doesn't get much of a discount. I don't even think that the Capitol cares about us. We're just tools that they use to get the goods that they need. If anything, we're one of the most used District's out there. The only District that I think that's more used than we are, well, actually there are way more, but Six is the lowest of the low.

Being used for your transportation devices and not even having a training center to better your chances is just sick. That's just so unfair, but who am I to complain? We don't have anything either. We've given the Capitol almost everything that we've produced with out own hands, but what did we get in return? Nothing, dammit.

I finally make my way to the Square along with many other families in Five. I'm the first Victor here so I mount the stage and sit on the last chair. The first chair is always for the eldest Victor in each District and the last chair is for the latest Victor.

Being me, I hate myself for winning. I don't wanna mentor. Mentoring just makes my body hurt. I get too attached to these tributes who were just like me, and... I just can't. I don't want this to happen. I don't like the Hunger Games.

Why is it still going on? I know that this is a lesson to teach the Districts that what they did was wrong, but still. It's been a far too long time for these games to continue. I didn't expect it to be dragged out for one hundred and seventy-five years. This is truly tiring and I don't have the patience to wait for it to end.

I want it to end now!

Everyone makes their way towards the Square and get their fingers pricked. I smile as Delvin, the second mentor of Five, takes a seat next to me and we chat for a while.

''How ya doing, Kelsin?'' Delvin smiles at me. He's such a kind Victor who's traumatized by his games. I felt so bad when everyone told me about his story. I-It was just a cruel games. He's got multiple scars on his arms from his games, hence why he usually always wears a long sleeved shirt.

He could always just use Capitol medicine, but I doubt that he will. I heard that it pains, but it's totally worth it in the long run. ''Great, how about you?'' I smile at Delvin plainly and he smiles back. He tells me that everything's alright, but I don't sense that it is.

Our escort, Patricia, walks out of the Justice Building and screeches loudly on the mic to catch everyone's attention. She begins to sing and now everyone is quiet. We all stare at Patricia as she begins to speak about the Dark Days and such. She wastes no time playing the video and we all watch.

The peacekeeper's shoot down adults and children, the President snickers on the screen, the Capitol is shown filthy rich, and the District's are all lined up from One to Twelve. It passes by each of the most memorable Victors and then chooses District Five. We all watch as it plays back from the first Victor to the latest.

It shows some ally of Declan jumping in front of a trident and bleeding out. I cover my eyes as Declan hovers over the boy and cries. I open up my eyes thirty seconds later and he's decapitating a career. The crowd gasps and various children start to all cry at once. The whole arena becomes quiet and then it plays Delvin's finale.

He gets chewed up by a mutt as he tries to run over towards the last tribute standing. He crawls and crawls over towards her and she raises her axe up into the air, clutched and ready to drop. He bites at her leg and she begins to stumble. The mutt continues trying to rip off Delvin's right arm and he uses his free left hand to use the girl's axe and chop her leg off.

She soon begins to bleed out and he crawls over towards her stomach and uses all of his strength to bring it down. She screams so loud in the video that it's almost deafening. I turn to look at Delvin and he closes his eyes. A single tear drop falls from his eye, and he takes a deep breath.

Then it shows me killing tributes. I feel so bad whenever they replay this video. It hurts me on the inside and outside. I look away from the screen, and I can feel all eyes on me. I look up after the lights have shined brightly and Patricia stares at me.

''Anyways, how about we get to the tributes, shall we?'' she asks. I look over at her as she walks over to the girls' bowl. She chooses the very first envelope that she sees and unfolds it. I watch as she licks her bright pink colored lips and chuckles once she reads the note. ''Enigma Lilac Brine!''

The Capitolites all quickly run over to one of the farthest coffins away and open it up. I watch as they zap the peaceful girl with the remote. Her head pops up from her coffin and she sits there with confused eyes.

''What's going on?'' Enigma looks around.

Patricia walks over to Enigma and kneels down next to her. ''Sweetie, you died first in your games and now you're back for a Quarter Quell. You're competing once again,'' she tries to say in the nicest way possible.

Enigma's eyes widen. She begins to stutter and sweat pours down the girls face as if we're in the desert. She then jumps out of her coffin but falls face first onto the stage. She begins to scream and crawl away. Tears stream down the poor girls eyes like a river and she just continues to yell.

The Capitolites try to help her, but she scratches them and crawls away. She doesn't make it far, though. She kicks at their legs and tries to get away, but they grab onto her. She bites one of the Capitolites and falls head first off the stage. She tries to stand up, but she's quickly grabbed by two peacekeeper's who hold her up.

''LET ME GO, NOW!'' Enigma's tears glisten in the sunlight and watching this makes me feel terrible. I stare straight at her, but she doesn't see me.

''Anyways,'' Patricia says as she reaches into the boys' bowl. ''Levi Wyatt!'' I watch as one Capitolite walks over to the closest coffin and zap the boy inside. I watch as the handsome boy sits up and rubs his eyes. As soon as he stops, you can hear most of the females in the sections below squeal over the boy. A couple of girls in the twelve-year-old section are yelling and screaming over him.

''What's going on?'' Levi asks.

''You've been reaped back into the games,'' says Patricia. ''You died first last time, and now you've been given another chance at life. I hope you use it wisely, cutie.''

Levi smiles at Patricia and then looks around. ''Oh my god, yes,'' he says. I become confused for a second because I wouldn't expect someone who died first to be thankful of being reawakened after they died a first time. ''I'm so happy! This means that I get to rejoin my family, right?''

''If you win,'' says Patricia excitedly. We all nod at the boy's question. I look back at Enigma who squeals and tries to escape. The peacekeeper's have to push her down against the stage and lock her arms. Levi looks over at her but doesn't say anything. He looks over towards us and I blush at him.

He smiles and then nods his head. As he tries to get up, he trips. The Capitolites help poor Levi up and he smiles. He seems to be getting the hang of his legs pretty quickly since he's started walking again. He stands right next to Patricia and closes his eyes when he sees Enigma.

''Your tributes, Enigma Lilac Brine and Levi Wyatt!''

Levi waves to the crowd and smiles that cute smile of his. I look straight at his reaping clothes and they seem like something you'd wear in a medieval castle. I smile at him as he's accompanied to the Justice Building by Delvin and Patricia. I quickly snap out of my trance and follow after them.

Maybe District Five will actually get another Victor this year. Maybe not all of our tributes will have to die year after year. Maybe, just maybe, Levi or Enigma can pull through and win for us.

Levi's gonna be raining with sponsors, that's a fact. I wonder how they'll both do. I hope one of them wins.

* * *

 **Caner Schubert;**

 **District Six Mentor**

Being a father isn't easy. Especially when you're single. My wife took off one night without a trace and just disappeared. I don't know why. What did I do that was so wrong? Was it because of my drinking problem? Was it because I was on drugs? They were prescriptions acquired by the Capitol to help me null the pain from my games.

All I have left are my kids, my wonderful home, and a tiring life. My maid does every single thing for me, but it's still not enough. I can't handle the pressure of all of this. I've honestly never wanted to live the life I do now. Being reaped into the games was one of the best things that happened to me, but they were also one of the worst.

Just knowing that I killed that tribute on the final day makes my heart pound. I hid my entire games, yet that wasn't good enough. The Capitol hated me when I came out. I didn't do anything that they loved. I was surprised that I even survived for as long as I did.

To this day, I wonder if anyone would have really cared if I had died. Mother surely wouldn't have; she treated me like crap ever since I came out of the womb. Dad wouldn't care because he was a stoner and an alcoholic. Looks like I've taken off after my old man, huh?

I barely pay attention to my children anymore because of my victory. I don't even know why I had children. Probably one of the worst decisions in my life. I now have to feed two more mouths, get them prepared for school, dress them, and even wipe their asses after they take a shit.

They're young, but I honestly don't care much anymore. I don't really want kids. To be honest, I've thought of times when I wanted to kill them. I've hovered over them before with knives and I almost brought one down onto my youngest ones throat. He was only two back then, but it still hurt.

I tried it again, my hands were twitching and I was sweating. My eldest son woke up and saw a knife tipped on my youngest ones throat. He quickly threw the covers off and looked at me in utter shock and disgust. I didn't know what to say, I had no idea what I was going to do.

I had two options: kill both of my children that day, or play it off and pretend as if I was sleepwalking. My eldest son was only seven at that time so he fell for it, but I accidentally cut my own child's neck that day. I watched as the blood rolled down his neck and fell onto the right side of his body.

I didn't know what to do, so I just went back to bed. He woke up the next day with a scab on his neck. He didn't know where it came from or what happened. I thought I had gotten away with it until my other idiot son said he saw me with a knife.

This was when my wife became suspicious about me. I told her that maybe they were having nightmares that seemed real and that there should be no reason for them to be afraid of their daddy. I thought that I had gotten out of the troubled circumstance and planned on killing my eldest child, Dionny, at that time.

It was about nine o' clock at night, and I didn't think that he fit with our family anymore. Both of my children were dead asleep. I thought that this was my perfect chance to kill them both, especially Dionni. So I held a knife, clutched with my left hand, right at his forehead. As I lifted it up, my wife walked out of their closet. She was apparently organizing their clothes and when she saw me she fell into tears. She grabbed my arm and slapped me.

I knew that when all that was over that she would leave me. She took off a couple of days later, and left me with the children. I remember reading a note that told me that she would come back and return for the kids, but she never did. I don't know what happened to her, but she's most likely either dead or a bum living on the streets.

After her leave, I blamed everything on Dionni and Kyro. Kyro had no idea what had happened because he was only two at the time, but Dionni did. He was smart for an eight-year-old. He hated me ever since, and that's when my I turned into an abusive father. Everything I did for my children was something that would hurt them.

I never helped them out with anything that they needed. Homework, food, advice, it didn't matter to me because I simply didn't care about them. I remember waking up one morning and saw Kyro peeing in his bed. Something just triggered in my mind that I had to hurt the little boy. He was just annoying me. He was still asleep, too, so that angered me even more.

I had walked over to him and held the front of his shirt and pulled it up until he woke up and started choking. He gagged and gagged, and once I finally realized that he was about to die I quickly let go. He looked up at me in shock and fear, his eyes filled with tears.

''Daddy?'' he let out. Dionni was still sleeping at that time, and I didn't know what to say. I just told him to go back to sleep. When Dionni woke up, he was told everything by Kyro. Dionni had the balls to confront me about it.

When he did, I locked him in the basement for two days. I heard him quivering, crying, yelling, and just begging for me to let him out; I didn't, though. He deserved to be locked down there. The day when I went to check up on him, he was lying on the ground half-dead. He was severely dehydrated and he smelled like absolute shit.

I picked him up and went to give the poor boy a bath, but as I did, something in my mind told me to kill him. I shoved his head under the bubbly water and watched as he squirmed and gargled on the soapy water. He swallowed so much soap that bubbles started shooting out every time he yelled.

I finally stopped once he gave up, but he wasn't dead. I was kind of relieved. Killing my child would've made the Capitol angry at me and I would have been known as the worst Victor alive.

There was more to it than that, though. I walked in on Kyro dancing to same girly dance song, and it just angered me. I thought my son was gay which is something that I never wanted. It pissed me off, and I nearly killed him again.

I ran straight up to him and booted him with my foot. He cried, but nobody besides him and I were home. I whooped him with a belt multiple times until he got cuts on his arm. He bled for days and bruised up. I had to keep him away from school just so that he didn't snitch on me.

Another incident with my children was when I caught Dionni playing instead of doing his homework. I had told him to finish it before, but he skipped out on the harder parts and went straight to the playstation. I grabbed him by the back and repeatedly beat him with my shoe until he was unconscious. I just didn't feel as though that was enough punishment for the boy, so I grabbed a belt and strapped it onto his neck.

I placed it onto a fan and pulled tightly on the belt which woke the boy up quick. He yelled and cried. I don't blame him for crying because I was hanging the boy by force. I turned on the fan and when I saw his face turn blue I shut it off and quickly removed the belt. He choked and coughed. I had a small smile on my face, but I didn't mean it.

I don't know what's wrong with me. It's just how I am. I'm a monster on the inside, and on the outside to my children. They're the only people who know about my sadistic nature. Those games have really affected me in a bad way.

My final incident with my children happened a couple of months ago. Kyro was being a naughty little boy so I fed him the most disgusting food I could have thought of. It was basically prison food for the young boy, and he cried as I fed it to him. I remember the tears pouring down his eyes. I told him that if he threw up then I would make him eat it up; that's exactly what he did.

I shoved the fork down his throat and he gagged blood. Dionni quickly grabbed my arm and told me to stop. The insulting boy defied me, so I hit him as hard as I could with my fist. I'm a terrible father, believe me when I tell you that.

I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I feel as though I'm just different from the others. The games have changed me the most out of all these other Victors in the games. I've been the only one cruel enough to do something as terrible as this to my own children. I've smoked in front of them, drank in front of them, and broken objects in the house in front of them. Hell, I've even had sex in front of them because, hey, why not?

Why am I telling you all of this, you may wonder? Well, the answer is quite simple. The same thing that I do with Dionni and Kyro is the same thing that I do with all of the tributes that I receive. This is why they're always so tormented when they enter the games. I've done the cruelest things possible to them.

I've always played that nice mentor act at first, but quickly change it to the cruel, sadistic bastard that I am. I've done this with every damn tribute that I've gotten for the past decade. I don't regret a single moment of it. To be honest, watching my own District people die just fills up the sadistic side of me.

It makes me want to kill them myself. Too bad I'm not the most hostile person out there. Shit, if I tried to do this to an adult I would get my ass beat because, well, I'm more of a child abuser, you see? Abusing children is fun. Watching as they squirm away from you, calling their mommy and daddy just makes me laugh; it fills up the joy in my heart.

I bet you that every single child that I've hurt wishes for my death. I don't mind if they do because I'm pretty sure that my own children wish for my death. Mostly Dionni, probably. Kyro is still little, so he's more like, ''Daddy, no! I still love you! Don't ever say that I hate you, no matter what you do. Pwease, daddy! Pwease, stawp it!''

Dionni on the other hand just waits for the day when I get a heart attack and die. But if my father were like that, then I would probably wish the same damn thing on him. Let me know what you think. Am I sadistic or is this normal? I find it pretty normal if you ask me. I don't care about the children, the future of our great nation.

Our nation is nothing but bullshit. So I don't care about the future of our nation. They can all rot in hell for all I care. Maybe I can even torture them before they enter the launch tube. I just wonder which one of our multiple tributes who have died first will be chosen.

I watch as our escort, Rimera, picks up a slip from the girls' bin and reads it out loud. Through all of my daydreaming and thinking, I didn't even realize that I missed the Capitol video on Panem and the Victors from Six.

''Anaya Akira Celtic,'' says Rimera as she reads the envelope out loud. I watch, hands folded as the Capitolites walk over to the first coffin that they see and zap it. She quickly sits up, but doesn't say a word. The girl is completely numb and hasn't even moved. She just looks around and twitches her eyes as she realizes that she's back in Six.

''Sweetie, you're alive,'' says Rimera as she crouches down towards Anaya. ''We brought you back!''

Anaya looks happy for a second after she processes all of this information into her mind. She jumps for joy from her coffin and claps her hands realizing that she's come back to life, but that soon stops.

''To compete in this years Quarter Quell!''

Anaya quickly stops. A tear rolls down the girls eyes and you can pinpoint the exact moment when her heart shattered. ''Maybe being dead wasn't such a bad thing,'' she says under her breath. I smile at her. Maybe killing you isn't such a bad thing.

Rimera walks over to the boys' bowl and takes out a slip. ''Challis Damask.''

I watch as the Capitolites walk over to the largest coffin on the stage. They slowly open it up and zap the dead boy's body. ''What's going on?'' Challis twitches around. Then he looks at someone sitting on the last seat of the mentors.

''Challie?'' he says as he stares at his sister. I remember her games, he had stepped off the platform, but I don't know why. _To protect his sister, maybe?_ How the hell are you gonna protect your sister by committing suicide? That makes absolutely no sense to me, not one bit.

''I thought that I lived, but I'm glad that you won, Challie,'' I remember her mentoring a couple of years ago. She wanted out, so I told the President that I'd step in and take her spot. I have no idea what he did with her after that, and I honestly don't care.

''This year's tributes for District Six, Anaya Akira Celtic and Challis Damask!'' says Rimera. Challis begins to smile, and chuckle to himself. ''I have a chance to be with my sister again!''

Oh wow, what a typical little cunt! I wanna be with my sister. I want to protect her. I'll do anything for her just to make her happy. It's all a load of bull. I never did anything for my sister besides abuse her when I was younger. I'm gonna have fun with these two tributes, I just know that I am.

They're escorted to the Justice Building and I smile as they pass by. I tell them that I'm their mentor this year along with Alexias. Alexias and I, we're nothing alike to tell you the truth. Alexias is too nice with these tributes, but she shows her attitude with mentors such as myself.

Believe me when I tell you that I'm gonna have fun abusing these tributes. The little girl, Anaya, is gonna be a blast to hurt on. I can't wait to hit her with a whip, maybe even poke her eyeballs with a knife or something. This is gonna be fun! And Challis. Pretty boy in the Justice Building is gonna get what's coming to him.

I'm gonna have so much fun! It's gonna be a blast. Oh, God. I can already feel my sadistic nature being pulled out into reality before we've even reached the trains. Oh, man! Ohhh, man! I'm gonna do anything and everything that I can to hurt these two, and I'm gonna enjoy every single second of it.

* * *

 **A/N: Heyyyy! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry if it got weird at the end. I planned on having a terrible Victor ever since the beginning and I thought that someone from Six would be the best since they usually go into depression, alcohol, drugs, all that crap. I thought that Caner was the best candidate for it because I had Alexias actually being a loving person. Also, sorry if this chapter seemed short. I felt like it was.**

 **I don't know why, but I felt as if something was missing. I lost my train of thought while typing this out, and it really bothered me. I have no idea what I was gonna put in this chapter, neither do I remember. It really bugs me, but I hope that this is sufficient enough. I think it is, though, maybe... Hopefully you all do. Let me know if you guys think I need to improve on anything. Anything at all will help because I feel as though I'm screwing up on some parts and they don't make sense to me when I proof read. Maybe I'm just thinking too hard, I don't know. Let me know, please! :)**

 **Also, don't forget to vote on the polls if you haven't already. This will benefit the tributes that you guys love in the long-run. The more liked they are, the more likely they are to reach the end of the games. Others, unfortunately might die pretty early... Hopefully they don't. Sorry, again, if you didn't see much of the tributes' personalities. I felt as though mentors were more important at this early stage of the reapings, but when the train rides happen and training, all of that stuff, you'll see way more of these tributes. I plan on having everyone with one POV before the the games begin. If I don't get that done then I will give the ones who didn't get a POV before during the bloodbath and so on if it continues that way.**

* * *

 **Who was your favorite tribute?**

 **Who was your least favorite tribute?**

 **Favorite mentor?**

 **Least favorite?(I think everyone will have the same least favorite. If not, then I don't know wtf is wrong with you...)**

 **Anything that I can do to make this story better? Anything at all? :)**

* * *

 **Agh, thanks for reading. I was actually supposed to get the District 7, 8, and 9 reapings up as well as this one today, but that unfortunately didn't happen. I worked on this in the morning, and when I wanted to get the other District's up, my mouse started screwing up and I flipped out. I, like, threw it at a wall, and I don't know... :/**

 **Hopefully it doesn't matter to you guys. If I can't get it up later today, then expect it to be up either tomorrow or Monday. I wanna get past these reapings really quick, so yeah! Thanks for reading, I'll see you all later! Byee! ^-^**


	6. Why Is All This So Complicated For Us?

**Reapings Part Three:**

* * *

 **Chantell Oakwood;**

 **District Seven Mentor**

Is it really time, already? I didn't think that time would fly by so fast. I swear, it was just yesterday that both of my tributes died. They both had potential, but it wasn't enough, I guess. When I usually think about it, tributes just come and go.

Their families all suffer with the loss, the mentors suffer with getting to know them well, and it just hurts in general. Knowing me, I've had my fair share of tributes that I've seen come and go. I've loved some of them, and I've hated some of them. Not all tributes will be a favorite. I know a lot about that.

I'm just not one of those mentally scarred tributes. I don't care about my games. They show mine sometimes, but it's not really a huge thing in Seven to celebrate winning the games. We're not careers, although, we could be. Careers enjoy killing.

We've never loved the idea of the Hunger Games. I've always hated them ever since I was born. I thought that they would end soon. Just knowing that me, being as young as I am, would be living in a time where the Hunger Games actually still continued.

One thing that bothered me was that the other nations, whatever the hell they are, don't bother to come in and stop these so called games. I mean, we were told in school that we shouldn't speak about the Dark Days. I didn't have a single clue what the other nations had to do with those times.

I heard other kids whispering about this continent long ago called Europe and how much of a wonderful place it was. They spoke about how District Seven was once known as a place called Canada. I didn't know what that was, but apparently they weren't part of the wars that happened. They were just unfortunately in the same area at the time, so they were taken over, too.

Sucks, doesn't it? So, what I heard was that District Seven was completely fine and had nothing to do with the Capitol, but because we were in the same area at the time means that we had something to do with it. Ha, okay...

I sit on my bed with my legs folded and watch my partner's games. Five kills is usually the average that District Seven Victors usually get. That takes me all the way back to Johanna. The girl played nice, and shy at first, then she turned out to be a killing machine. I remember she walked out of her games full of blood covering her head to her toes.

Heh. What a girl.

Anyways, as I watch Relmo's games and study closely at what he did. He wasn't an outgoing tribute during his games but he sure is now. He allied with the careers and usually, that never works for tributes like hi- Err, I mean us. Tributes like us.

Whenever tributes from Seven ally with the careers, they're the first to die in the career bloodbath. That's just how it always goes. I've seen it happen way too many times, and I'm quite tired of it. If anything, District Seven should easily beat those damn careers.

If you ask me, we're better than the careers. Sure, they've got training centers, game simulators, and they've trained ever since they learned how to walk, but the cockiness that they show just kills them. It's just stupid how they have so many Victors, yet they're simply the most annoying Districts out there.

I'll just let you know my opinions on all of these District's personally. I just need to let some steam off after every single tribute that I've seen from Seven die. It just angers me way too much, and I don't want it to continue. We're better than this and I know it!

District One. First of all, every single one of their tributes are either pretty or retarded. Sorry if using retarded as an insult makes you feel uncomfortable, but they honestly are. Every damn tribute from One only wins because of their looks. The only ones with real talent are Gari and Reese, this years mentors. But, you can honestly see why they're mentoring. The past couple of District One tributes have all just been pretty people. It's honestly annoying. Sucks for them, they're at the bottom of the Career charts now.

District Two. Two, honestly, needs to go somewhere else. All they bring to the table every year are some bloodthirsty kids who can't wait to brutally kill the children from your District. Sure, they're the strongest District out there, not to mention that they have the most Victors, but they're annoying. Every damn interview that you have with one of their tributes is, ''I'm gonna kill them! I'm gonna tear their limbs apart! I'm gonna bring honor to my District!'' Blah, blah, blah! It's repetitive every year.

District Three. I don't mind District Three. In fact, I honestly feel bad for them. Some of their Victors turn out to be nothing more than a mess. Take Jianna for example. I've gotten the chance to know her, and she's honestly one of my favorite Victors out there. The only thing is that she's mentally scarred from her games. She wasn't like those smart asses who electrocuted every damn person in that arena. Her and Shion are different from the others. They're the only tributes from Three that I know that don't use electricity in some type of way. The only thing that sucks is that they never come back with a Victor. It's been quite a while for them.

District Four. Four is probably the most perfect District that I've ever seen in my life and it's annoying. They've always got the best looking tributes in the games, they're always skilled, and they probably have the best District in all of Panem. I mean, the luxurious homes, the beaches, and the amazing water. It's just all too much if you ask me. Sucks that all of that doesn't get them many wins. They're barely past District One in second place on the career charts, ha ha.

District Five. Five makes me feel bad. They're one of the most used District's out there. It just bothers me. All of their Victors come back traumatized in some way, especially Kelsin. The cute girl is one of my best friends in this forsaken nation. Knowing all of the things that she's been through is hurtful. It's just sad. Then you realize that their tributes always die, and it's unfortunate. It's just hurtful and cruel.

District Six. I don't know what to say about Six. They're all just a complete mess. The only Victor from Six who I like is Alexias. Caner is a piece of shit, not to mention a drug abuser and a coward, but isn't that all of Six? I remember on my Victory Tour, the parents of the children that died were all high or something. They were laughing when I complemented their dead kids, but I guess that's just how life in Six is. I'm not even gonna bother with that because I don't care much.

I'm not even gonna go into District Seven. My opinions on Seven are obviously going to just be me saying something amazing about it because I'm biased, and I'm not afraid to say that because it's true. Who wouldn't be biased about their District?

Eight is nothing to me, honestly. What is Eight even? A bunch of fabric making children. So they provide clothes for the Capitol, and in return they have about four Victors, if I'm correct? Yeah, I think that's exactly how it goes. Plus, every damn tribute from Eight that I've seen has always been psycho. There's never a year without one psychotic tribute from Eight. Never. I'm not trying to roast on these Districts, but I don't give a damn about either of them besides our own. I mean, I love Seven's allies, but we have very few of those and Twelve's been bugging us ever since our first Victor.

District Nine is full of precious and innocent children who don't deserve these games. I swear it makes me cry whenever I witness one of them die. Just watching them get sawed in half, or even get a knife in their tiny baby foreheads makes me cry. They're just so innocent, and Nine Victors never have more than four kills. I think Nine is a mixture of Six and Seven. They hide and rely on others quite a bit, but they also have some tributes with fighting instincts. They're just so precious! I can't... I can't.

Ten is fierce. In fact, I don't know how they're rated sixth in the amount of Victors. All of their tributes are strong, and Ten can be easily classified as a Career District if they weren't so poor. I've gotten the chance to know quite a few Victors from Ten, mostly Jaime. They're so emotional when it comes to killing, and it hurts them. They're used to slaying cattle and such, but a human life just makes them feel bad from what I've seen. I don't blame them, killing wasn't easy for me either. We just gotta do what we gotta do to survive, am I right?

Eleven. Oh, Eleven. How you are my favorite. Watching as year after year, little kids from Eleven are reaped. It's sad, really. Eleven hasn't had a tribute older than fifteen in quite a while. Their last one was Conley, who won his games, but turned out to be a crazed party guy. He's different from the other kids in Eleven. He's all about party, girls, money, and living a good life. Different is definitely the word that comes to mind when you compare him with other Victors.

Twelve. I don't have much to say about Twelve. We are allied, if I'm correct. I know that we're on good terms with them, but I'm not a huge fan. They have, I think, two Victors remaining. One of them is in the hospital on his deathbed or something. The other is still quite healthy, but I feel bad. Imagine going fifty or more years without a Victor in your District, and everyone blames you for it because you're the mentor. I feel bad for the poor lady who's stuck with that job. Time-after-time, all of her tributes turn out to be bloodbaths. Hopefully this year is different for her. It'd be nice to see someone take her place as mentor.

Okay, so enough of my rants. I'm just not psyched about every other District out there. Call me a bitch if you want, but I'm just being honest here. I'm not gonna sugarcoat and pretend as if I like these other District's when most of them piss me off. That's just how some people are, and that's how they're supposed to be, in my opinion. I don't like holding the truth back. It's all or nothing from me.

I get up off my bed and walk out of the front door. My family has already left for the reapings and I'm late. Studying Relmo's games was a good warm up for this year. I'm not training, but watching how your ally played his games helps understand the way he teaches.

Instead of taking the main road to the Square, I walk past the forest. The forest is such a beautiful place with lush green leaves on beautiful bark trees. It's quite fascinating. I spend all my time here whenever I feel down in the dumps or just want to go outside and feel free.

Once I reach the near end, I find Relmo sitting on top of a branch. ''Hello,'' he calls out from above. I stare straight at my ally and smile. I give him a wave and continue to walk. I hear a thud and watch as he throws a small axe down onto the floor. He quickly jumps off the fifteen foot tree and lands feet first. He slips and does a split on top of a pile of leaves, and I can't help but snicker.

''It's not funny when it happens to you!'' Relmo calls out. I completely ignore this and hurry up to the Square. I quickly reach it in about five minutes with only seconds left to spare and I watch as Relmo climbs onto the stage with me. Once we reach it our escort looks straight at the two of us.

''You two lovebirds seem to be late. Wonder what you were doing,'' he says as he rolls his eyes. He calmly walks over towards girls' bowl and picks one from the very bottom. I look around at all of the coffins and can't help but wonder who it's gonna be. Looks like we're really late, though; we missed the introduction and Capitol video.

''Eudora Bayard,'' says the escort. I lean forward and watch as the Capitolites open up one of the smallest coffins and zap whoever is inside. Once the gold lights disappear, a small girl sits up. I watch as she rubs her straight, chocolate brown hair and looks around at everyone with her blue-gray eyes. She opens up her mouth to say something, but the only thing I pay attention to are her rosy cheeks. My goodness, she's adorable!

''Hello? Guys, what's going on? Do I know you? W-What's happening? Someone please fill me in!'' Eudora looks around. She's totally confused, and I feel so bad for her. She doesn't deserve these games.

The escort bends down towards her and fills her in. ''You died first in your games, and they're bringing you back for a Quarter Quell.'' What a great way to tell her everything. Although, I'm not gonna lie, I would tell her the same way.

''Wow,'' she looks down. ''Well, I promise that this time I won't die as pathetic as I did last time.'' I stare this girl in awe as to how she reacted to this. That was so surprising. The way she died was lame, though, I'm not gonna lie. She froze as soon as the gong ran and got shot in the forehead with a bow and arrow. Interesting way to go, isn't it?

Our escort turns away from Eudora, who's super calm for some reason, and digs in the boys' bowl for a small slip. She picks one up from the right of the bowl and reads his name out to the crowd. I hope he's good because I'd like another Victor in Seven. But then again, who's good that dies first?

''Orion Aquarius,'' says the escort. I watch as a Capitolite opens up a coffin right in front of me and zaps the boy inside. The gold light disappears and there he slowly looks up.

''What's going on?'' says Orion. ''Can someone tell me what I'm doing here?'' I look straight into his sea green eyes and can't help but feel fascinated in this young tribute. His jet black hair complements his fair skin, and I watch as he slowly stands up trying to get the feeling back in his legs. Our escort speaks to him and now he begins to understand.

''I have another chance? Are you serious? Oh my God, yes! You guys won't regret bringing me back to life. Trust me, we're gonna have another Victor in Seven! I swear to you! I will bring you all back another Victor, and I'm not talking about, um...what's her name over there! We'll meet again, believe me!''

I can't help but chuckle at the handsome boys words. He certainly is interesting. Our escort introduces our two tributes, and Relmo and I escort them towards the Justice Building.

Orion, who's taller than I am, looks down at me. ''So, you're our mentors?'' Relmo nods at Orion and he smiles. Orion places his hands the pockets of his arena outfit and smiles. ''Sweet! I'll be joining you guys after these games.''

Good luck with that, kid. Eudora might have something to say about it, as well. Maybe, who knows? Seven could easily have another Victor this year. I feel as though they're both gonna surprise us.

* * *

 **Miliona Webster;**

 **District Eight Mentor**

Hmm, another year has passed by so early. Great, now I have two more tributes that I have to mentor just to see die, again! I don't feel like mentoring this year. Actually, I've never wanted to mentor. Mentoring is bull crap, and I really, really don't want to do it. They should have Jackson mentor only; he's good at doing that.

I look around at the clothes shop to see if there's anything that I'd like. Oh, there's a cute flowery dress here and it seems to fit my size. This old lady still has what it takes to attract the younger men, he he. Sure, I'm quite... aged, but I'm not _old._ That word does not suit me because I'm young on the inside.

I turn around to see an elder lady sewing some clothes, and she looks as if she's about to put them on a shelf. I smile at her, and ask how much the beautiful dress with the flowers imprinted onit will cost. She doesn't seem to hear me, so I ask again.

''Excuse me,'' I say. She doesn't reply, so I say it once again. ''Excuse me!''

I look at this old lady, and I have the feeling that I'm gonna slap a bitch. Yes, I'm one of those grandmas, elder women, whatever the hell you wanna call them. I've been a bad bitch ever since I was born. I do what I want, when I want, however I want, and whatever it takes to get what I want. That's precisely how I won my games, as well.

Being from District Eight, you'd think that my weapon of choice wouldn't be throwing knives, but that was exactly what they were. I was basically a career if I say so myself. Six kills wasn't bad for me. They called me ''Bad Bitch'' during my games because I was a bad bitch. I've always been one; that's why people in this District don't mess with me.

I grab onto the elder ladies shoulder, and I'm about to slap her until I see the hearing aid. Oh... I turn it up for her, and she smiles kindly at me. She's such a dear, I couldn't have hurt her. _Yes you would've. You know that's a damn lie. You even hurt Jackson, what makes you think you won't._

Ah, Jackson. The little boy that I used to babysit, and then mentored; now he's a Victor, just like me. Anyways, I smile kindly at the elder lady and ask her how much the beautiful, flowery dress will cost for my beautiful, young and hip body. Do kids still say that word, hip?

She chuckles at me and tells me that it's on the house for a Victor such as myself. I smile thankfully at her and start to reminisce about my games. I sit down on the small benches that they leave out for the shoppers and wait for Jackson to finish up getting new clothes that I can add to my closet.

It was back in the day of the one hundred thirty-first games. I had just gotten up from my pod and entered the beautiful, shining arena full of nothing but flammable, amber trees. The sunlight gazed on every tribute in that arena, and I remember watching as the District Seven tributes hooted and hollered. The gong rang and immediately, the two tributes from Seven defended the cornucopia.

I remember sneaking past the vast area of tributes killing, screaming, and spitting on each other. The boy from Four had just taken out two tributes with the beautiful, diamond rich knife that glistened in the sunlight. Following it was the drops of blood that had seeped from the mouth of various tributes. Watching as he slid the knife across his own neck shoved shivers down my spine.

The boy from Seven had just slammed his double sided axe down onto a careers neck. I believe it was the girl from Two. She was knocked down while the shining axe stole her life away from her. Her face was completely cut open, and I remember seeing the bones of her skull. Watching as he repeatedly slammed that beautiful axe down upon her forehead made me cringe.

The girl from his District didn't hold back at all. She was throwing hatchets at tributes like nothing. Surprisingly, we had fourteen deaths that bloodbath. Those hatchets hit three tributes in the head and injured another. I thought she was a threat, so I took my chances of throwing a knife at her. Letting that knife go, it swirled through the air like a soaring eagle and landed it's way through her sensitive temple, sucking all of the light out of her. The knife made it's way through the brain to the other side of her head.

She fell completely still and that was when I ran. Being on your own in the games isn't easy, especially when you have to watch your own back while you're trying to not fall asleep. When I was attacked at night, I didn't know who the hell it was. I saw a bloody tribute holding up a small tomahawk, and I thought he was ballsy to be running towards me. I quickly threw the knife at his feet, which made him stumble. Killing a tribute with their own weapon is satisfying, but killing them with _your_ own weapon makes you feel even better!

I know that the Capitol filled in on me entertaining them. They were probably on the edge of their seats, right about to fall on their asses while I slowly skid my knife around the outline of the boy's face. Him struggling gave pleasure to me; I just wanted to do it over and over and over again! You may find me cruel for liking it, but if someone stepped up and tried to kill you, tell me you wouldn't torture them.

I cut a little too deep around the skull, so I could see a bone. He was fainting. He already lost too much blood from his last fight, so it wasn't even a challenge killing this little boy. I held his neck and continued. The blood poured down his face like it was raining. Then it actually started to rain, and for some reason the rain actually made the trees catch on fire.

I forced the boy back onto a burning tree and grabbed two knives. You already know where this was headed. So I had some target practice. One of my knives hit him in the... Look, it wasn't my fault. The knife slipped out of my hand and ended up there. I felt bad, but he was gonna die anyway. The other knife, I placed in the one of the burning trees, landed in his neck. He soon caught on fire and I hauled ass.

Two kills wasn't bad, right? My games ended before the feast and I had a huge part in that. I remember the day before the feast I was surrounded by burning trees. Not many tributes were left, maybe five if I can remember? Me, two careers, and some outer District children. I remember watching the two teams fight each other and it seemed as if the outer District's had the upper hand.

I placed two knives onto a burning tree because I wanted to end these games with a bang. I slowly crept my way towards the tributes and I saw that the career boy from Four stabbed his knife in one of the other tributes' throat. The boy fell back and began to choke. I didn't want to see the poor boy suffer, so I threw my burning knife at the ground. It soon caught fire and burned him alive.

The other three quickly stopped and didn't realize I was there. Taking this as an opportunity, I threw another knife at the tree the boy from Four was leaning against and it soon caught on fire. He burned to a crisp while the ground soon caught on fire as well. The sound of four cannons booming throughout the arena was music to my ears. I knew that I had won, but it was quite more difficult than I thought. The boy from Seven placed second; he put up a fight in the end. I watched as he tried crawling towards my fleeing body, and couldn't help feel bad. Psyche.

Well, that's how it went. How Panem's baddest elder won the games. Quite fascinating, right? Those were good times. Now that I think about this, I realize that what everyone says is true: District Eight always brings in the psychotic tributes. We've had multiple psycho tributes in the games before. They've all been creepy motherfuckers.

I watch as Jackson walks out with a bunch of shopping bags. He holds about three in his right arm, three in his left arm, and one in his mouth. He walks over to me and rolls his eyes. Look at my baby all grown up and shopping for women!

''Here you go, Mil,'' says Jackson as he hands me one bag. I smile kindly and walk back to the Victors' Village. We make it there in about three minutes since this shop the first one on the street outside of our neighborhood. The gates open and I walk to my house in a couple of seconds. I live in the first house on the left, so I'm quite close. ''Special treatment for a special lady,'' I like to say.

I tell Jackson to wait outside for me and he rolls his eyes. I can't help but let out a small chuckle because that's the exact way that he responded when he was younger. He was always an ignorant child who never payed any attention to what you had to say.

A couple of years after my Victory Tour, little baby Jackson was born. I was always friendly with his parents since we were close friends. They were just a bit younger than I was, and we were all really close. They were always super busy; going around District's, selling clothes, and trying to make profit for their family just to take care of the little boy.

He would always babble at me and call me his big sister. It was adorable. Then he got older, his parents weren't really around much, and he just started getting bored and defiant. He rolled his eyes, spoke back to me, and even yelled. I always had permission to hit the boy, but I never wanted to. He did get out of hand one day to the point where I had to, and ever since then I've continued to smack him whenever he did something wrong.

He eventually got the drift and decided he was gonna stop. When he was reaped, his heart broke. He sobbed and sobbed, begged for forgiveness, and wouldn't let go whenever someone hugged him. Watching him basically give up was terrible.

I couldn't stand it so I slapped the boy repeatedly until he finally stopped. I always scolded him and grabbed his shirt while shaking him vigorously. I'm glad I did that because if I didn't, he most likely would have died. Finding out his strengths and weaknesses were easy since I've known him for so long. The troubled part was his weapon of choice. Ultimately, he decided that he was best with throwing knives.

It made me happy knowing that he followed me, and he watched my games over and over again to see how I won. After his first two kills, I knew that Jackson would win the games. It was pretty sad, watching him cry, but he did his family and I proud. Oh how time flies by so quick.

I walk out in the flowery dress that I just 'bought' and strut in my heels. I laugh and twirl around and ask my little boy how I look. ''Good,'' he replies. I put on a poker face and stare at him. Mentoring with this little boy again is going to be fun.

''Come on,'' I begin. ''Let's go to the Square, now.''

He nods his head and I hold onto his hand. We walk out of the Victors' Village and make our way to the Square. He helps me mount the stage and I thank him. I smile as he walks away to go talk to his wife in the sections away from the stage. Oh my Panem, I still can't believe how grown up he is. I know that it's been years, but the boy has matured into a great man.

Speaking of family, I didn't see my daughter in the house. Maybe she left. Or maybe she's finishing up work. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to what she told me yesterday. I watch as the children all line up and get their fingers pricked by the Peacekeepers. There is no point in doing this.

The children should just get in their age sections and get this thing over with. I'm pretty sure everyone is relieved that they won't be reaped. That's a good thing, though. Knowing District Eight children, nobody has the balls to volunteer for another tribute; not even their own family members.

Our new escort walks out of the Justice Building in a pink afro wig and stunningly tall high heels. Talk about appearance. All of the other Victors come sit down and the children all finish lining up into their age groups.

''Welcome, District Eight,'' our new escort tries to hype up the crowd. ''I'm your new escort, Namie, and I'll be representing District Eight! Exciting, isn't it?''

The crowd stays quiet as Namie continues on and on about how happy she is to represent District Eight. She continues speaking, and then finally plays the Capitol video. We all watch as Peacekeepers shoot, beat, and kill citizens of Panem, and then it plays to the President chuckling with fire in the background. Finally, it shows all District's lining up from One to Twelve with the best Victor from each.

It passes from the Victor from One last year to the best Victor from Eight, Falia, who had nine kills. It zooms in on her young face and shows her as she aged. Then it plays our Victories from our first Victor, Woof, all the way to our last Victor, Jackson.

The lights brighten on the Victors and the audience lets out a weak applause. I slouch over and put my chin on the palm of my hands. I stare up at our escort as she continues speaking about how much she loves this District, even though we don't have many Victors.

She finally shuts up and walks over to the girls' bowl. She picks up one envelope and her eyes widen as she opens up the envelope. God, I just hope it's not that satanic gir-

''C-CANDICE DAVENPORT!'' Namie gasps. Sweat drips down the girls face and I stumble back onto my seat. I look straight at Jackson and his eyes widened. I place a hand on his shoulder and his mouth gapes open.

The Capitolites slowly walk over to the rustiest coffin and open it up slowly. There lies the most devilish girl in the history of the Games. When we watched recaps of District Eight first deaths, she stood out the most. This girl was the first to arrive at the cornucopia, but instead of fighting off other tributes she slit her wrist and drew a demonic symbol on the cornucopia floor with her own blood. She rolled her eyes back and started mumbling words. I was actually scared when watching this, but she didn't survive long; her head was cut off by an axe from the District Two female.

We watched her recaps in the Capitol, and she did everything and anything she could. She fought with other tributes before and almost stabbed a boy in the throat in the training room. She's something else, and if she wins this time around, then we're screwed.

After she's zapped, Candice sits up and rubs the side of her long brown hair with cornrows. I watch as the pale girl opens up her eyes and looks around. Her hazel eyes fascinated me when I watched her games, but I didn't know they were this beautiful.

''What the hell is going on?'' she rubs her head even more while placing her left hand on her throat. ''Wasn't an axe stuck in my throat?''

Namie slowly tells Candice what's going on and once she finishes, Candice smiles slowly. The grin on her face becomes larger as the seconds pass and she finally let's out a scream. ''YES! OH MY GOD, I GET TO KILL? I'M BACK! I'M GONNA KILL EVERYONE! OH MY.. I'M SO EXCITED! YES!''

Janet stops with a smile on her face and looks down at her arm. She sees the scar on her wrist, but that just makes her smile even more. I shake my head and hold onto my forehead. Oh God, this is going to be a challenge. I don't know if I can do this.

Namie picks up one of the envelopes from the boys' bowl and reads it out to the crowd. ''Nathan Evans,'' she calls out.

The Capitolites walk over towards the boys coffin and open it up quickly. They zap him and he sits up quietly. ''I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT LIFE IS ANYMORE!'' Nathan shouts. ''The knife! Get it off of me you sick, twisted career! STOP!''

Our escort quickly runs over to Nathan and explains everything. Nathan sits in his coffin quietly, not moving at all. He begins to twitch as Namie walks away and he starts fiddling with his fingers. He let's out a light chuckle and that soon becomes a loud laugh.

''WHAT? You're telling me that I've died and been brought back to life just so that I could die again?! HA! THAT'S HILARIOUS! WOW!'' Nathan begins to yell. His eyes dart left to right and I feel bad for the boy. ''I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT LIFE IS ANYMORE AFTER WAKING UP!''

He's soon held down by a couple of peacekeepers as he tries to escape. He rapidly shakes and yells. He's quickly pulled into the Justice Building and isn't seen after that.

''Your tributes, Candice Davenport and Nathan Evans,'' says our escort in an unexcited tone. I'm not exactly excited either for these two tributes. I don't even know how I'm gonna train either of the two. I honestly don't even feel like giving them any advice. Candice won't listen to me and Nathan will just flip out again. God, how lucky I am to get these two.

Jackson and I stand up and motion Candice to walk towards us and into the Justice Building. She chuckles as she approaches the two of us and doesn't say anything. ''I'm Miliona and that's Jackson. We're gonna be your ment-''

Candice stomps on my heels and makes me stumble to the floor. She spits on the ground and walks into the Justice Building while laughing. She slams the door shut and I grit my teeth. If I were aloud to kill her, ooh! I know I'm gonna hate her, and mentoring her is just going to be a pain in my ass. Dammit, I hope this spawn of Satan dies!

I would love another Victor in Eight, but it's not worth it if it's Candice. Oh, I just hope someone kills her. That will make my year.

* * *

 **Lilac Acker;**

 **District Nine Mentor**

''GET OUT!''

''Honey, I'm sorr-''

''DON'T EVEN START! I SAID GET OUT!''

''I-I-I I apolog-''

''GET OUT AND TAKE THAT FILTHY SLUT WITH YOU, ASSHOLE!''

I push my husband out of the house along with the woman I just caught him cheating on me with. He tries to run back inside but I slam the door right into his face. His fingers have been caught in between the door, so I repeatedly open it and slam it shut over and over again.

I can here his cries from outside but my cries are much louder. I roll my back onto the floor and sob until I can't sob anymore. Mucus is stuck in the back of my throat and it's hard to breathe. I wipe the snot from my nose with a paper towel and dry my tears.

How can someone be so cruel? I-I was always a loving wife, I never did anything wrong, I took care of him. I loved him with all of my heart and he goes back and does this to me?! I cooked for him, I fed him when he was sick, I did his laundry, and let him mooch off of my money!

Then I find him cheating on me in my own home, on MY bed! Come on, are people really that ungrateful? I've done so much for him, and I've respected everything that he's said. I even let him be the head of my victory home. Why do people go back on you and do this type of stuff?

I've never done anything wrong. Sure, I've killed, but that was only to come back to my family! I've always been a good person who didn't mistreat others. Why do I have to play the nice and innocent girl who loves people, but everyone else gets to take advantage of me and use me for what I have?

This is the sixth time that I've fallen for something like this! I'm starting to think that love is just a word and that no one will ever truly find it. I've seen so many people out together, snuggling and kissing. It's broken my heart knowing that I can't have something like that. I've never had kids because of things like this. You'd think that I'd learn from my mistakes the first time, but no! It's taken me six damn times to figure out that men are evil.

Men are nothing but cruel, sadistic, and inhumane. They use you for your money, your lifestyle, your body, and the pleasure that they get once they finally convince you to get into bed with them. I'm tired of it all. How could I fall for people like that? They're so cruel! Why me?

Now what? I bet they're probably just gonna go out and do it to some random girl out in the streets. They're gonna use her just like they used me. I'm so foolish! Look at me! I'm all alone and crying on my own floor; I'm heartbroken!

Why can't I find love? Can someone fill me in on what I'm doing wrong, please?! Is it because I'm too nice, is it because they're afraid I'm gonna snap because I've killed before? _No, if they were scared of you they wouldn't have done what they did._ What is the problem? I don't understand!

I've never been so furious in my life! I'm usually calm; always keeping my emotions under control and hidden away, but this time I just can't. I'm screaming, punching holes into the strong walls of my house, and even breaking merchandise that I bought with my own money!

I've done everything for them! I've always helped out! Why can't I just be loved for once? Just once. My family always loved me until I won the games. My mother called me a murderer; my father thought of me as nothing more than a monster; my sister was afraid that I'd do the same thing to her that I did to the tributes in my games.

I bit a girls vein out of her arm.

I ripped off a boy's head.

I cut off another boy's private.

I was a monster for the games, but I changed! I'm not the same as I was in those games. I was never like that! Why does everyone that I love push me away? Why do they stay a safe distance from me? Why do I have to the be terrible one? Why am I the one who gets repelled and is known as an outcast to the District because I won? Why does everyone see me as a monster after what the Capitol put _me_ through? Not my District, not my family, not the love of my life, but ME! I'm the one who went through hell!

I killed because I had to. I've tried to love because I wanted to be loved. I've never done anything wrong because I wanted to. I've always done it because I had to! What is love? Is there even a definition of the word love?

Ugh! It annoys me so much that I want to kill, kill, _kill_ them! I want to skin all of them alive! Grab them by their necks and scratch the skin off with a rusty old knife while they're stapled to a wall.

I want to hurt them all! Everyone who's hurt me! I'm so angered with how they all treat me. They've betrayed me; they've made me angry; they've broken my heart! They've done so many terrible things to me that I just feel like I'm going to rip each and everyone of them into-

 _Knock knock knock_

The pounds on the door vibrate down to my back. I stare up at the ceiling as the tears, from my eyes, have dried on my cheek. I feel the crust just lying there but I don't want to remove it. I'd rather let it stay there because I just don't care right now. Having this happen again just doesn't leave me to be the same person.

My heart is beating; my head is hurting; my throat is burning. I don't have it in me to see anyone at a time like this, but I'm still going to open the door because that's just how I am. That's exactly how Lilac Acker deals with her situations. She has company over. Even though I didn't call anyone over, I know exactly who it is behind that door. He's always here whenever I'm hurt.

Zane, another Victor in Nine.

''Lilac, you okay?'' he bursts in as soon as I open the door. ''I saw what happened a-and I was j-just wondering if you were alright?''

I nod my head while scratching the crust off of my cheeks. ''Thanks, Zane, but I'm fine.''

''I-If you want company or something, you know I'm always he-''

''No, thank you,'' I cut him off. ''I don't feel like being with anyone right now, plus I'm gonna head out to the reapings anyway.''

''O-Okay,'' he stutters.

''Bye, Zane,'' I shut the door. I sigh as I walk up to my room with my head down. My hair falls to my chest and I push it away. It's so quiet now. Living in this house all alone is really boring. Just knowing that I could have company such as my parents or anyone, really, just makes me sad.

Nobody wants to be with me no matter how hard I try to be loving and caring. Nobody cares about Lilac, nobody. I don't even think that my family remembers me. The girl who killed three tributes, the girl who was disowned by her parents, the girl who's sister is severely afraid of her! Dammit, Nia, it's been over twenty years!

I strip from my clothes and put on a different outfit. I wear long, white capri shorts with a pitch black undershirt with a striped, black and white vest over it. I place on studded high heel sandals and begin to walk down the stairs to the kitchen.

I walk over to the fridge and take out a bottle of champagne and pour it into a small glass. I sip it down, but repeatedly pour more as I sit down. To my surprise, I'm not drunk yet. I don't bother drinking anymore, so I just place the champagne glass in the sink and shake water inside of it.

I stumble over myself while opening the door because I haven't walked in these in a while. I lock the door to my house and walk out of the Victors' Village while ignoring everyone who greets me. I take my time walking towards the Square because I see no reason to hurry over there.

Once I finally reach the Square, I mount the stage and let myself drift off into a light sleep. I'm one of the few people here, so why not?

Sleep will help me get over this terrible start for a day. I hear the crowding of children stomping their feet on the floor getting to their sections. Multiple needles are being pricked into the fingers of various children and some let out screams.

A couple of kids start yelling and laughing, knowing that they won't be reaped today. Good for them, but they still have quite a few years to go. I bet all the eighteen-year-old children are incredibly happy. I'd be happy, too. If only I hadn't entered the games.

If I didn't, though, I'd be living in misery and poverty. I offered to buy them all a house but they refused. They really don't want anything to do with me anymore, and that really bothers me. Knowing that I was raised by my family, and now they don't even want to have a memory of me.

Oh well.

I hear the clanging of boots and chains smacking against an outfit. The entire Square goes quiet and I stare up as our escort walks out in the most ridiculous outfit ever. She has long, striped circus pants that are accompanied by large, pure white boots that reach her knees. She wears a ripped tank top that's very revealing and has tattoos scattered across her arm.

''Hello, District Nine,'' she shouts out into the microphone. ''As you all know, I'm Janaya, your escort. You guys excited for these games? I am! Let's get this started!''

The Capitol video begins to play and we watch as people get killed by peacekeepers. Then it shows District Nine's best Victor, Guan and his nine kills. I let out a small smile as they play every District Nine Victor's games.

They finally end off with me winning. I sigh and sit straight up with my legs crossed as Janaya walks over towards the girls' bowl.

''The female tribute representing District Nine this year is Zahra...?'' Janaya sounds confused. ''Her name is just Zahra? Oh, okay then.''

One Capitolite on the stage walks over towards Zahra's coffin. He flips it open with no respect towards the dead girl and zaps her without a moment of patience.

''My stomach... Huh, the stab wounds aren't...? Wait a minute, who the hell are you guys and why are you here? What's going on?''

''Zahra,'' Janaya tries to explain to her.

''How do you know my name? Get away from me! What's wrong with you guys? Stop approaching me!'' she shrieks.

''Zahra, you died first in your games and we've brought you back to compete in a Quarter Quell, sweetie.'' says Janaya. ''It's been quite a long time for you. It's the one hundred seventy-fifth games now.''

''Oh,'' Zahra looks down at the floor depressingly as she tries to get out of her coffin. ''So I didn't survive. I thought it was just a dream that my ally pushed me into the career, but I guess it wasn't, after all. I wonder who won...''

I feel bad for the girl. She gets helped up by the peacekeepers and she almost loses her balance. I stare at her as our escort picks up a slip from the boys' bowl and reads it out.

''Lark McGlacen,'' she calls out.

The same Capitolite flips his coffin up in the same way he did with Zahra and zaps Lark. The first thing that happens is Lark starts yelling at the top of his lungs. His screams echo throughout the entire arena and the Capitolite who zapped him held his mouth shut.

Lark quickly stopped and started looking around. Once he was let go, he asked what was happening. Our escort filled him in on everything and the last thing that I remember from watching his games was that they had mutts at the cornucopia that year and he was devoured by a snake.

Somehow they got his body. Wonder what they went through to get that. Lark looks shocked after what our escort has just told him. He opens up his mouth and just sits there in awe. He doesn't understand the technology that they used to bring him back to life, and I don't blame him. I'm pretty sure that I would react the same exact way if that were me.

''Your tributes representing District Nine, Zahra and Lark McGlacen,'' says Janaya.

Lark shakes hands with Zahra and he slowly walks towards Zane and I. He knows that we're the mentors because we stood up and started walking towards the Justice Building. Lark smiles as he reaches us and Zahra looks timid.

She doesn't say anything and keeps her head down. I feel bad for the poor girl. It's been quite some time for her and she doesn't seem too thrilled about being reawakened.

''Zahra,'' Lark calls for her. Zahra looks up and stares straight at Lark. ''We were given another chance at life. Let's not blow it up this time.''

She doesn't say anything and enters the Justice Building on her own. I stare at Lark and he smiles at me. I open up the door for him and he enters quietly. He thanks me on his way inside and sits down, patiently waiting for someone to visit him.

''So, what do you think about our tributes?'' Zane asks.

''They're okay,'' I reply. ''They're not the most threatening, but I think we can work on that.'' I look straight at Zane and then look back at the floor.

I'm not really in the mood to talk, so I just go into the train. ''Can you get them when time is up?'' I ask Zane. He nods his head and I smile. I walk into the train and sit down while eating a couple of chocolate chip cookies that they let out.

Watching as another pair of my tributes die isn't going to be fun. Maybe they won't be too painful, but hopefully I can work hard enough to bring one of them back. I feel as if I'm going to get attached to them both, and it's going to hurt me watching them get hurt.

Hopefully that doesn't happen.

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy! So sorry for the long wait. It's almost been a week since an update and I really didn't want to take this long. I actually wanted to finish with the reapings last week and be on the training days by now, but that's a lot of writing... Yeah, I kinda procrastinated. A lot... But at least the chapter is up now. I'm just gonna say the same thing I always say, ''I'll try to update later today,'' but we all know it most likely won't happen.**

 **I want to finish up the reapings really quick, then I'm thinking about two train ride chapters, the chariot rides, two training days, the private sessions, scores and interviews, then the last night before the tributes enter the arena which will be different from others, I guess. Then there will be one chapter for the launch and then the games will begin! :D Oh, and my bad, Caleb. Kinda stole your idea with the elder District Eight mentor, but I had Martha Stewart as her FC and I was like, ''Yo, Martha's bad a, so I'ma, like, write her,'' I guess? My bad, bruh. Agh, oh and if you guys haven't, go check out Reader Castellan's SYOT. It's an amazing story, and Reader writes so well. Another story that you should check out is WizardDemigodGladerGateKeeper's SYOT. He writes crazy good, and I, like, get jealous while reading his work. I get jealous reading both of their stories, actually!**

 **So yeah, a lot of writing to do, but hopefully I can get them all in within the next three weeks? Maybe? I don't know. Most likely it won't happen, but hopefully it does. Oh, and the poll votes are going great! Everyone has a vote except for one which was quite surprising to me, but if their own submitter didn't vote for them, then oh well... I'll keep the poll's up for until I finish the reapings which will be next chapter so keep that in mind. If you want, have friends vote for your tributes or something. It'll really help! :)**

* * *

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite POV?**

 **Favorite mentor and why?**

 **Least favorite mentor and why?**

 **Who was your favorite tribute and why?**

 **Who was your least favorite tribute?**

 **Anything I can do to improve?**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Hopefully the next chapter will be up by tonight, although, I doubt it. :/ Oh, and thank you for so many reviews last chapter. I jumped from like 50 to 68 and that's awesome! Thanks a lot! That makes me feel loved and I'm so happy!**

 **Well, I'll see you all next chapter which will come as soon as I can update. Still, only one more reapings chapter until we're done. Glad to know that you guys are still in this, and thanks so much for reading, once again. See you all next chapter, bye! ^-^**


	7. Goodbye Panem, Welcome Capitol

**Reapings Part Four:**

* * *

 **Jamie Turnor;**

 **District Ten Mentor**

''Daddy, how do you make it? I forgot,'' says my little boy.

Oh, boy. How hard is it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Not hard at all. I mean, you take a scoop of the butter with a knife and place it on the bread. Smooth it out, and then add the jelly with a small spoon. If you want, mix it all together and there you have it. Well, that's how I make it, at least.

''Smooth the butter out on the bread, and then add the jelly if you want,'' I tell my son. He smiles up at me and continues doing what he does. I watch as he finishes it up and drools over the sandwich. He bites it with his front tooth missing and starts rubbing his stomach.

''Mmm! So good!'' he smiles.

I sit down on the couch and ponder over whether I want to watch television or not. If I do, it's most likely going to be one of the first death games for District Ten tributes. I'm not too fond of this, but I'd like to get to know some of these tributes before I go ahead and mentor them.

I can't choose between the ones I want to watch; I've gotten way too many tapes. All of the tributes' names are imprinted on them and I want to choose the ones that sound most interesting. Going through them all is gonna be really tiresome. I mean, I just don't feel like watching tributes from home die. It's not something that I would do. Especially not after what happened in my arena.

''Let's see here... Carlin Michaels, no. Monica Welbeer, no. J-Julio Calline.. Huh? Alright then, Julio, let's see what you have to offer District Ten.''

His games were a couple of years ago, actually. How did I forget about this tribute? Hmm. I watch as the tributes are put up through the tubes and multiple of them look scared. Everyone is turning their heads, looking left and right. Nobody in these games seem prepared besides the career tributes, as usual.

The camera focuses on Julio's face and he's sweating. The gong rings and he's one of the first people to jump off of his platform and start running. He's bumped into by the career boy from One and is pushed to the floor. The boy from One, Wesley, I believe his name was, grabs a knife and stabs Julio, who is trying to get up, in the heart.

Julio's eyes roll back and he just falls. Blood drips from the boys chest and Wesley continues to stab. He finally rips the blade out and pushes Julio to the floor. Damn, Julio. How? How did you let him get to you like that?

I remove his tapes as soon as he dies, not wanting to see who won those games. I'm pretty sure it was a career, though. Nobody in those games seemed ready besides them. I go through more of the tapes until I can finally find one that I want to settle down on.

Mickaela Robenson. It says here that she was only twelve-years-old. She died pretty quickly; before the gong barely even rang. I place Mickaela's tapes inside of the television and press play on the remote. All of the other tributes and her are placed on the platforms inside of the arena.

Mickaela starts moving her head vigorously and looks for something. She looks terrified as she sees all the other tributes. I stare at the outline of the arena as the camera goes to the sky view. The arena looks pretty boring. There's nothing special about it at all. It's just a normal forest.

The gong gets to ten seconds and a bloodthirsty career tribute starts hopping from platform to platform. He pushes some tributes to the point where they almost fall off, but they all hang onto their balance. He finally reaches Mickaela's platform and she looks frightened.

Mickaela doesn't know what to do, so she just stands there looking at the boy. The gong finally rings and that's when the career boy reaches towards Mickaela. Everyone stares at the two tributes besides two outer District tributes who use this as an opportunity to run and grab supplies.

The boy smiles deviously at Mickaela and wraps his hands around her neck. He chuckles as he kisses her cheek and then snaps her neck. Mickaela falls off the platform and that's when everyone starts to run. I skip the rest of the games towards the end and watch the finale. That same boy who killed Mickaela is in the finale with a District Six tribute who killed him quickly.

At least Mickaela was avenged. Poor girl didn't know what to do. I really feel bad for her. If she gets reaped back into these games, it's most likely going to be hell for the girl. I really, really hope that she isn't reaped. I don't want her to go through more pain than she already has.

That's coming from me, the boy who basically tortured all of his competition. Using a whip to strangle and kill seven tributes isn't the best way for them to go. I... I feel bad about everything that I did in those games. Knowing that I wrapped a whip around three careers' necks and hung them just makes me feel terrible.

Ahem! Anyway, let's see who else has an interesting name. I brush against my goatee and play multiple tape. Huh? Most of these tributes have the same death. Some tribute from One always throws a spear at them and that's starting to get annoying.

Another tribute jumped off of the platform when the timer hit one. His eyes were watering and he yelled something out. I forgot what it was, but he sounded like he was afraid of something. He said something about his family and if they were proud, but I honestly can't remember what it was.

The last tape that I watched, a girl sprinted her heart out towards the cornucopia and made it there first. I was confused as to why she was shown, but then I realized what she was going to do. She held up a butcher knife and stabbed herself in the throat with it.

I covered my mouth and turned back to see if my son was watching. I forgot that the kitchen was right next to the living room. Eh... He's not watching, he's over there rubbing his stomach while finishing up his sandwich.

I watch as he falls off of his chair and starts giggling. ''Daddy, I finished!'' I smile and shut the television off. As I look back, my son starts running up the stairs and giggles as I watch him.

''Come here you little munchkin!'' says my older daughter as she lifts up little Geeni. He screams and kicks as he tries to get away. He's let down and Hunah kisses me on the cheek. She walks out of the house and I smile as my wife comes out, as well.

''I'm taking Hunah and Geeni down to the Square early,'' she says as she kisses me. I nod my head at her and hug her goodbye. Speaking of the reapings, I should probably get going, too. I don't want to get out now. I'll probably wait a couple of minutes before leaving.

Sucks that I'm gonna be alone while away. There's no second mentor this year for Ten, and I don't know why. All of our current Victors are still alive, but only I was told to mentor. That's interesting. I still haven't been filled in on why it's that way.

Alright, well that's enough time spent at home for me. I need to get to the Square. I get up from the couch and head towards the door. I lock it on my way out and walk straight out of the Victors' Village. It's not that much of a walk since I live ten minutes away.

I greet the gatekeeper on the way out and smile as she opens the gate. Making my way towards the Square, I'm greeted by many citizens of Ten. They all smile and I love the friendly folks of this District. We're just not the type to love the Hunger Games. All of our Victors have regretted what they've done, but honestly, we had to do it to live.

I finally make my way towards the Square and wave towards the crowd. I take my seat and wait for everyone to settle down. All of the Victors have taken their seats and the children all patiently wait in their assigned sections. Most of them have finished getting their fingers pricked and only about seven children are left until we start, so our escort takes this as a chance to come out and introduce us to this years games.

''Welcome, District Ten!'' our escort, Tres says. ''You all know me since I've been here for the past ten years. Anyway, you already know this years Quell, so why don't we just get into the message President Bengel has to offer?''

We watch as President Bengel delivers the message of the Quell and it plays to the peacekeepers and the Capitol beating the entirety of Panem. I don't understand why they continue to rule us. It's twelve- actually, thirteen against one yet we can't win, sadly.

The video finishes and plays my games. Apparently I'm the best Victor that District Ten has ever seen, so that makes me happy. I do feel bad about killing, though. It was never something that I wanted to do. That's just how life in Panem is, unfortunately. We've definitely gotta fix that.

''What a wonderful video, wasn't it?'' asks Tres. He walks over to the girls' bowl and picks up a slip. I chew on my bottom lip as I wait for which tribute that Tres will announce on the mic. I just hope it's not that poor little girl. ''Mickaela Robenson.''

Damn... Poor girl has to come back into these games, and that's just terrible. I feel even more terrible. She already died once, now she has to go back at it, again? Oh, Jesus...

One of the Capitolites on the stage walks over to one of the miniature coffins. They buried a small girl in a small coffin, huh? They zap Mickaela and the first thing that she does when she looks up is scream.

''Why are you here? I don't want to be in the Hunger Games? Kite, please, leave me alone! L-Let go of my neck, PLEASE!'' Mickaela screams as tears fall from her eyes. She begins to hyperventilate when she realizes that the boy who killed her isn't around.

''Who are you people? Why am I in a coffin? W-Who are you guys? What's in your hand? S-STOP LOOKING AT ME!'' Mickaela sobs even harder than before. I quickly get up and pick the girl up from her coffin. She's almost as light as a feather, and she's such a precious little girl. I hush her and explain everything to her. She looks straight into my eyes and you can tell that she hates this world.

I wipe away the tears in her eyes and then place her down on the stage. She holds onto my hand as she wipes her tears away like a child and then lets go. I pat her on the shoulder and that calms her down. Tres pinches Mickaela's small cheeks and then walks over to the boys' bowl.

He picks up the top slip in the bowl and unfolds it. ''Julio Calline,'' he calls out. How interesting is it that the first two tribute tapes that I watched were the ones who were reaped? The Capitolite that revived Mickaela walks over to Julio's coffin and slowly opens it. He zaps the boy inside and when Julio peers up, he stares at us all in confusion.

''Who are you people and why are you surrounding around me? Did I do something wrong? Last time I checked, I was in the g- The games...'' he stops suddenly. ''I died! How am I alive? Why am I alive?''

''Julio,'' Tres starts to fill him in. ''As you know, you died first in your games. We have brought you back for the one hundred seventy-fifth games to compete once again.''

''Oh,'' Julio looks up. ''So this is a Quarter Quell, and I have another chance to survive and rejoin my family?''

''Yes,'' I mutter under my breath, but he seems to hear me. He looks up at me and chuckles. His chuckle gets a little bit louder, but he soon brings it back down to a quiet one. He tries to get up from his coffin and he successfully stands up. I would think that any tribute brought back to life wouldn't have perfect use of their legs, but I guess I was wrong.

''Good,'' Julio stares straight at the crowd. ''I'll do whatever it takes to get back. I don't care who I hurt, or what I hurt. I'm going to win this time, you'll see.''

What a confident tribute. ''Your tributes representing District Ten, Mickaela Robenson and Julio Calline!'' says Tres. I walk over towards the two tributes and motion them towards the Justice Building. I stare at Mickaela as she realizes that she has competition.

Julio is going to pose a threat during these games, and Mickaela knows it. I want to help them both, but I feel as though I'm going to side more with Mickaela because of how young she is. I know that she can win. We've had a twelve-year-old Victor before, why not get another one?

I open up the door to the Justice Building for the both of them after I told them that I was their mentor for this year. I don't know why, but I don't remember Julio at all. It's really bugging me because I mentored back then. Is my memory really fading already?

Good, God.

Hmm. Hopefully my memory starts to come back to me during training. Maybe his movement and the weapons that he uses will help me remember him. I do think he can win, but Mickaela is more of a top priority for me right now. She seems like a keeper and I want her to win, if not, then make it really far. I just hope one of them can win. Julio won't be phased that much, but Mickaela sure will be.

* * *

 **Conly Schism;**

 **District Eleven Mentor**

Life is good when you're a Victor. Like, you get all the babes, so much money, and you don't have to do the labor that everyone else in your District has to do. I mean, look at me. Who was I a couple of years ago? I was nobody just like everyone else in this District.

I don't think anybody knew who I was. I used to be that shy little kid who would keep his mouth shut and not draw any attention at all. I would do my best to avoid peacekeepers, people, and work. I sometimes skipped but whenever I was caught, the beatings that I took seemed endless.

Being whipped was something that happened to the weak. I'm not weak anymore, in fact, I'm stronger than ever. They have no power over me, nor can they take away my rights. I'm a Victor, after all. What peacekeeper in their right mind would hit a Victor? Especially one such as myself.

I'm the life of the Capitol. Everyone loves me! I'm the go-to guy, after all. The party banger of the Capitol. I unlock everyone's party animal because that's just who I am. I mean, look at me. I'm pretty, I've got the sexiest skin, I've got good hair, and I'm filthy rich.

Sure, Capitolites are all rich, but they don't know what Victor life is like. All I do is throw money into the air and share my love with everyone that I meet. This is why every time someone brings up District Eleven I'm the one that they talk about.

They don't even need to say my full name. If you ever hear the name Conly, you know who it is. I'm a beast, I'm a monster, I'm everything that a Victor would love to be. Sure, my games phased me quite a bit but I'm not like that scared little boy I used to be anymore. Those four kills changed me.

Like, you don't understand. I don't need anyone anymore because I blaze my own. I'm droppin' racks over here because I'm so clumsy, man you don't understand. I'm filthy rich. It's just... My life is a blessing, man. Not many children from Eleven experience this.

Actually, you're never rich in Eleven unless you win the games. There's no such thing here as wealthy. When you're born, you live in a terrible, broken down shack with no A.C. or running water. You never have anything to eat because your parents are broke as fuck and they have to steal just to feed you.

Once they get caught you have to sit there and watch as they get whipped. Sometimes you cry, other times you look away. Most of the time the peacekeepers take it too far and accidentally kill them! Sometimes... Sometimes you wish that you could go back to that time and change everything that happened.

Sometimes you wish that you had the strength to volunteer to get a whipping instead. Sometimes you wish that you could kill the peacekeeper that ruined your life. Sometimes you wish that you could have whipped them instead of them whipping the ones that you loved.

Sometimes you wish that life was different and that you still had your loved ones around. Sometimes you wish that your older brother would get a real job instead of getting drunk and high with you everyday and banging everyone that enters your house.

Sometimes... Sometimes you just wish that he didn't break down after your loved ones died and that he helped you through your difficult times. Maybe things would have been different if he did. Maybe things would have been different if Eleven wasn't one of the poorest Districts in this damn nation. MAYBE... Just maybe if this corrupted world didn't get into a war we wouldn't be in such a mess.

It doesn't matter. Everything is changed and you can't go back to fix it. You never could. If it were possible, maybe I would have done it already, but that doesn't matter now. I'm not even awake and here I am drunk. A bottle of whiskey is at my side and my lips are touching it.

I move my hand to the side and feel tons of dollar bills next to me. I grab onto them with my hands and throw them up into the air as the blanket flies off of me. Money rains down onto my body and I look to my right. My brother is unconscious with a joint in between his index and middle finger.

I get up from my bed and take it out of his fingers. Looks like everyone else left. I turn around to see all the underwear left on my bed. Looks like it was a full party. Everyone left without their bottoms, ha ha. I turn back to my brother and he's breathing roughly.

I slap him and he quickly wakes up. He seems like he's stoned or something. He gets up quickly and starts to stumble over himself. He runs over towards the pile of clothes that I left on the floor and takes a camera out of it. ''Yo, fam. Check this out, bruh. I filmed the whole party, man!''

I walk over towards him and look at the video. ''Bro, Kylie totally likes you, man! The things that happened yesterday, oh my God!'' I look over at him and leave my hand out so that he can dap me up. After our handshake, I go over to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

''Man, she told me that she hated me, but I'm drenched in money. That's why she loves me now,'' I joke. ''I mean, who wouldn't, right? I'm rich, I'm young, and I throw parties for fun.''

''Ha ha, I feel you,'' he begins to chuckle. I can tell that he's still not in tip-top shape. ''Yo, yo. So I woke up, right? And, like, last night was all a blur!'' I begin to chuckle and then it gets quiet all of a sudden. I ignore it until I get outside and he's not there. Maybe he left? I don't know.

I take a quick shower and when I get out my brother is no where to be found. I ignore it and go put on the clothes I'm gonna wear for the reapings. Nothing fancy, I can dress how I like. I'm taking full advantage of this Victor thing.

I put on skinny, black sweatpants with a gray hoodie over it. I put on my timbers and then brush my hair before leaving. I finish everything up and when I get outside of my room towards the stairs I notice my brother on the floor with red liquid pouring out of his head.

''HOLY SHIT, ARE YOU OKAY?'' I run down towards him and touch his back. _Why would you ask someone who's bleeding out of their head if they're okay? HELP HIM!_ My mind yells at me. Jesus, oh God, w-what am I supposed to do?

''GOTCHA!'' he yells. I jump back and hold onto my chest. I glare at him for a couple of seconds and then start to chuckle. ''It was just red whine, bro.''

''That was a good prank, but come on, we gotta get to the reapings,'' I tell him. ''They'll hurt you if you don't make it there on time, so let's go.''

''Okay,'' he looks at me uninterested. ''I'll go clean up and meet you there in five minutes.''

I nod my head and start to head out of the house. I slip past the gates of the Victors' Village and since we've been hated quite a bit by the Capitol, the Square is quite far from here. You'd basically have to sprint all the way over to the Square if you wanted to make it there in under five minutes.

I walk past the avenue that holds so many memories. This was the exact place that the old peacekeeper whipped my parents to death, the same place that the children used to bully and make fun of me; the place that I told everyone that I'd be something and they just laughed at me. Look at me now, and look at them. They're all poor and homeless, trying to fend off for themselves, but it doesn't work.

That's what they all deserve for being so cruel to ya boy. They don't understand how some people feel, and now they're in a worse circumstance than I ever was when I was little. Ha! It makes me smile knowing that they all live in misery after all the things that they've said and done to me. Maybe karma is real after all.

Speaking of the old peacekeeper, here he is now. I watch as he taunts a little boy and flicks his wrist, making the poor boy stumble and cutting marks on his legs. I close my eyes and take a deep breath when I see this. I try to ignore it, but he lets the boy run off and then approaches me.

''Well, well. Isn't it our little Victor,'' he's trying to start something. He always does this! ''Remember back when you were younger and I used to whip you like that? I think you still have the giant scar on your back, am I right?''

''The Capitol medicine made it disappear,'' I mumble. ''Plus, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm not that little kid that I was back then.''

''Oh, right!'' he chuckles. ''You're now the party boy of the Capitol, am I right? Well, I may not be able to hurt you anymore, but your brother is still in the question!''

''You wouldn't!'' I snarl.

''Oh, and why wouldn't I?'' I hate him! He took away my life, he took away the ones I cared the most for, and now he's trying to take my brother from me? ''He's just a drunk, and if he's late to the reapings then he won't be around for much longer, if you get my drift.''

''He won't be late.''

''Oh, and if he is, then I'm gonna kill him the exact same way that I did your parents,'' he begins to laugh out loud. He holds onto my shoulder and starts coughing because of how funny he found that. ''You remember, don't you? The way I made your mother watch as I destroyed your father, and then I ended her? Ha, what a blast! The same thing will happen to your brother.''

''Shut.. up!'' I snap at him.

''Oh,'' he backtracks. ''Are you mad? Well, excuse me for doing my job.''

He chuckles and my skin is boiling. I can feel the demon from Eleven raging back into me. Just like it did during my games when I killed four careers. My temper is being played with and at any moment now I can snap. I don't want to. I don't want to go back!

''Now, get going to the Square before I kill you the same way that I'm going to kill your brother, you filthy nig-''

With a sudden burst of fury, I lash my arm out at the unguarded peacekeeper and get a clean punch to his face. He falls to the floor and looks up at me shocked. He doesn't deserve to live after all of the things he's done to me. He doesn't deserve to laugh and act as if he's above the law. Not after everything that he did to me. He made my life a living hell before I entered the games, murdered the ones I loved, continued to torment me when I came out of the games, and now he's threatening to take my brother next? No way!

Before he can even say anything, I see his old and faded gray hair blow in the wind. Looking at him in pain and agony makes me feel terrible. I don't want to kill the old man, but after everything that he's done, he deserves it all!

I try to hold back, but I just can't. It's the exact same thing that I did in my games when the careers pushed me to the point where I couldn't control myself and killed them all. I-I-I'm gonna kill him. Here and now.

''P-Please...'' his breath is warm against my hand as I bring it down for another punch. I hold him up by the collar of his shirt and repeatedly slam his head into the concrete street that everyone just passed by; he and I are the only ones left on the street.

I turn my head to the right as he groans. ''S-Stop...'' I see a large, blood red brick from the work area and pick it up. I stare at it and back at the old peacekeeper. Before I know what I'm doing I pick it up and slam it down on his face. He yells in pain and agony and I just know that what I'm doing is wrong. Hurting the peacekeeper who took everything away from me isn't the right thing to do, but I just can't help myself.

I repeatedly slam it down until his breathing comes to an abrupt stop. I stand up and kick dirt in his face as I throw the brick down onto his temple. I hold onto my hair and fall to my knees abruptly. What did I just do? I-I-I did something terrible. This isn't the games, there's no reason for me to be killing! What did I... Oh, no!

I look at the blood red brick right next to the inactive peacekeeper who lies still on the floor with his eyes wide open. The winds presses against his filthy, gray hair that blows smoothly across his face and brushes against his ear. I look as the sun glistens the red brick, and it shines against the old peacekeeper's disgusting and brittle cheeks.

Oh God, I can't stay here much longer! I quickly run away from the scene and make my way through the vast area of nothing but grass and trees. This is where everyone picks up apples, and... Oh, that brings back terrible memories!

I continue to run and run until I can't anymore. Once I stop to take a deep breath, I realize that I'm at the Square. This was just like the bloodbath when my District partner was getting a curved knife shoved in her face and out by the District One male. Her blood dripping from his knife as he looked up and chased after me.

I came to a halt and just caught my breath. Quick and simple, oh how they kill so fast. I look up at the Square as Eleven's escort catches my eye and stares at me. I stand quietly and still as I watch the female tribute squirm around.

''Where am I? Didn't I die? Why are there tubes on my forehead?! IS THAT MY BRAIN?'' she screams. I quickly mount the stage and smile at the other Victors who just shake their heads at me. I tell the tribute that she's just been brought back to the games and she looks at me in anger. I turn around and face my mentor ally.

''Hey,'' I say sheepishly. ''Sorry I was late. I h-had to take care of something...''

''Was it another party?'' he asks. ''Why do you always get drunk and jump from girl to girl? Do something with your life, kid! Be like me, get this Victor life crap out of your head and settle down with a girl and raise a family. Look at me, I'm doing fine with my children: Chris, Drew, and Tanya. Come o-''

''No, it wasn't that!'' I cut him off. ''It wasn't important. Just tell me who that tribute is, please.'' He looks at me and knows that there's something wrong. I wave it off and he tells me that her name is Brysia Sanders. I look at the sort of tall girl with hazel eyes and slightly tanned skin. I take a kind fashion to her well-kept ponytail, especially since she died.

She looks back at me and we make eye-contact. I feel as though I'm gonna have fun training with this one. I shrug and motion for her to turn around and face the crowd. She doesn't say anything, but just gives me a weird expression and looks away.

''Quartz Fields,'' our escort shouts into the microphone as I turn my head. I barely noticed her movement towards the boys' bowl. I was never filled in on how they revived the tributes, so I'm pretty curious as to what they do.

I watch as one of the Capitolites walks over towards a small and crusty coffin, and zap the boy inside. The gold light that covered the boys body disappeared and he sits up and looks around. ''Woah,'' he stares out towards us all. ''H-How am I alive? I remember being repeatedly hit in the head. H-How?''

''It was all the works of the Capitol,'' I fill him in. ''You've been brought back into a Quarter Quell, and now you're competing once again. You died first last time, and it's been quite a few years.''

''Oh,'' that's all the boy musters. ''Hmm. Well then. Looks like I'll just have to kill if I want to make it out, and that shouldn't be a problem, should it? I don't think so. Looks like I'm gonna have to get dirty. How unfortunate.''

''Your tributes, Brysia Sanders and Quartz Fields!'' our District escort yells out. I get up and walk over towards the two tributes. I tug on both of their clothes and take a moment to admire their reaping attires. I turn my head and speak to Cythrie.

''Take them into the Justice Building, please. Don't leave without me, I have something that I need to do.'' That's all I say to Cythrie, and he doesn't bother to interject. He just nods his head and walks them towards the Justice Building.

I'm going back to finish off Geoff. I just have a feeling that he's not actually dead, but just hurt. I need to end his life. Someone who hurt you can't be sticking around for long, and that's exactly what I'm gonna teach these two tributes.

* * *

 **Joydin Coalman;**

 **District Twelve Mentor**

Oh, boy. He's really not feeling too well, and that makes me sad. It's truly unfortunate how we all might someday end up this exact way. Lying on our bed, coughing and our bodies overheating, and we're just waiting to be put out of our misery.

This is exactly how Calieh feels. I feel bad for his poor, elder soul. It's a terrible thing, it truly is. Knowing that we both won ages ago and that we have no one to take over our place when we pass because none of our tributes have ever been... Oh it hurts!

Neither of the two of us have much time left. Who knows? I could die during the train rides today, or when I'm speaking to the two tributes representing Twelve this year and suddenly my heart decides to fail on me because of my old age. I just hope that this year will be ours because my time is coming to an end.

So is Calieh's. He's on his deathbed, and that makes me incredibly sad. Knowing that my husband has to have tubes up his nose just to help him steady his breathing, and people coming in every day just to wash him, feed him, and clean after him. He can't function on his own, and whenever he knows that something is wrong he just won't say it!

It hurts me inside, it truly does! My love, my husband, my fellow Victor. He and I have been through so much together, and he's just gonna go out like this? Just not even letting us know if he's in pain. I mean, one day he was squirming on the bed and I didn't recognize because I was trying to switch the channel to his favorite show.

I didn't notice until I heard a vase get knocked over and it broke on the floor. I turned around and saw him holding his chest and sweating heavily. His temperature was over one hundred and two degrees and I was scared out of my mind. What was I to do? I had no medical knowledge, and cooking him a meal wasn't going to make it any better for him.

That's why we got servants, or guests. I don't like calling the servants. It doesn't seem like a kind term, and I'd like to treat my guests with open and welcoming arms. They don't deserve the hate or irrelevancy that they get. I think they're a big aspect to the family as much as anyone else is.

I finish up making the sweet ice tea that he loves, but added the medicine that he hates inside of it. I know that he won't take a spoon full of it, so putting it inside of his favorite drink was the best option. I slowly hold it up as I walk to our room and smile at the company who are currently cleaning him.

They wash his body with wash cloths and smile as I enter. I tell them about the breakfast that I mad downstairs for them and that they can take a break if they'd like. They have a work schedule, and they never take advantage of it. I treat them with respect and they treat my husband and I with respect, as well.

It's a fair system, and I love the company that we have here. They're all friendly people who actually care about the problems that you have and actually want to help out. There's always a little bit of good in everyone no matter how evil they may seem.

''Hey,'' I gently kiss Calieh on the forehead. ''How's it going?'' I rub my hand around his receding hairline and softly pinch his cheeks. I can't stand to look at him this way. The sunspots on his neck and below are terrible to stare at. He's always naked under those sheets because of the temperature of his body.

It's terrible!

He can't even eat properly anymore; everything served to him has to be blended into a drink. And even then, he still can't drink through his mouth. We have to remove the tubes from his nose and pour it for a straw into the tube slowly and reattach it. It's a terrible life, and I can't stand it for him anymore! I don't want him to be this way, but the only option outside of this is death, and I don't want him to go!

I'd rather take his place any day than have him in a situation such as this. I don't want to see him suffering like this, and I can't even help myself from crying. The tears just flow right out of me and I can't control them. Holding them back just hurts my eyes and I'm forced to let it all out.

I feel his wrinkled hand wipe the tears away from the bags under my eyes and he holds my chin. I can hear his whistled breathing and heaving, and it just makes me shiver. I hate seeing him this way! I just wish there was something more that I could do. I... I don't-

''Hey,'' he breathes against my arm. ''I'm fine, trust me. J-Just go and get something to eat, will you? You look famished, and we don't want you starving before the reapings now, do we?''

I look at him and blink to remove the tears from my eyes. I try to go against his words, but he brings me to my senses and I get up. I hold his hand as I turn around, and let go. I continue walking towards the door, but I'm looking back at Calieh. Suddenly, I bump into someone.

''Oh,'' I chuckle. ''I'm sorry, Jeo. I didn't mean to bump into you like that.''

''No, no!'' she smiles nervously. ''I just came up to bring you your breakfast. You made a ton for everyone, but we noticed that you didn't have anything to grub on. By the way, we all thank you for preparing such a delicious meal for us.''

''Oh, it's no big deal,'' I let her know. ''It was just common courtesy. And thank you for bringing up my meal, I appreciate it.'' I say as I hold onto the breakfast that I prepared for us all.

I made this specifically for Calieh; it's his favorite breakfast meal: A wild mushroom frittata with cheddar, green onions, and peas; two cut waffles with rich and nutty brown butter and syrup on top of them; four pieces of sizzling, fresh bacon that just came out of the oven with a hint of brown sugar on them; and finally, a golden sunset. This Bloody Mary ditches canned tomato juice(and the tinned flavor) for the freshly pressed ingredients made from yellow tomatoes.

I know, I know. It seems like a lot, doesn't it? But when you're a wife who's husband is dying, all you can care about is his well-being. I've served his favorite dish for a reason. When we were younger, after our games and getting married, this is what I would serve him all the time whenever I had the chance.

He would always beg for this, even when I made something equally as good. I made this for a reason; I know that I can't finish it all on my own, so I'd like to share with him. Feeding him with a fork like I did when we were younger, I just want to go back to those times when we didn't have a care in the world. The thing that makes this all worse is that I know that he won't be able to eat it, and I'll probably try to force him to. I know that he wants to, but he can't! He just can't!

I even made his favorite type of breakfast desert; crusty buttermilk biscuits with just a bit of yeast in it. God, why do I do this to myself? It's no secret that neither of us have that much time left on our hands, but I would rather spend it by being able to move freely as I desire instead of being on my bed with tubes up my nose!

Oh Calieh...

I eat some, and then look back at the door to see if anyone is in front of it. I notice that nobody is, so I get up and quietly close the door. As I do, I look back at Calieh and he looks up at me. He wheezes and I smile at him. I tell him to open up his mouth, and sure enough, he does. I cut the waffles into a small chunk, mix them with the eggs and feed it to him.

He slowly chews on it with his gums and it looks like it's difficult for him. I help him out by moving his cheeks for him, and then giving him a sip of golden sunset. He smiles at me and I rip a slice of bacon, and then cut up a small piece of the biscuit and feed it to him.

''JOYDIN, NO!'' I hear as the door creaks open.

I slowly look back to see Jeo staring at me. Her eyes have widened and she runs over towards us. She grabs my shoulder softly and then checks to make sure that Calieh is okay. She quickly turns back at me and I'm gasping for air, my hands covering my mouth.

''Joydin, he could have choked!'' she tells me. ''This is why we don't want you feeding him. He has the tubes in him for a reason, Joy!''

I look at the ground and a tear drops from my left eye. She notices that I'm crying and tries to touch my shoulder. I move away and smile up at her. ''I'm sorry,'' is all that I let out. I run over to Calieh, give him a kiss on the cheek, hug him, and then leave the house.

''Joydin, wait!'' I hear Jeo try to call after me. I'm down the stairs and have already closed the doors. I try to run down the Victors' Village streets but my tired body just doesn't make it that far. I eventually just start to walk.

I finally make my way towards the gate and wave as our gatekeeper opens them up so that I can leave. I smile at her and start to speed walk. It's difficult to make it to the Square on time, especially since I'm one of the elders.

It'd be nice if someone in this District would help me out, but everyone is afraid of me even after I've aged. Nobody here is friendly enough, they all just completely ignore me. I don't see why. I never do anything bad to this District. Every single time I'm in public, I act like my usual self and try to speak to everyone. I try my hardest to reassure them all that everything will be okay, but it never works.

It would be nice if I could actually get these people to not be afraid of me. It'd be nice for anyone in this District, really. We all just ignore each other, and nothing turns out properly. Mothers scold their children for being afraid, children run away and become homeless, and everyone just ignores each other unless they're speaking about trading a squirrel for some type of food. It's sad, honestly.

I finally reach the Square after a couple of minutes and get on the stage. I look back at the crowd and smile; nobody moves, not even an inch. I'd think that everyone would be happy because they don't have the chance to be reaped into the games, but it looks like I was wrong.

Everybody here is still upset and nobody dares to move or say a word. It's dead silent until our escort, Justin, walks out and cracks that silence.

''Hey, Twelve!'' he shouts. I love his catchy tone whenever he says that. He's always called us Twelve, and I really enjoy that name. ''I thought that you'd all be happy since none of you will be reaped today, but I guess that I was wrong. Anyway, who cares what you all think? Let's just start these reapings officially.''

The video that they play every year shows up. I look away because I don't want to see everything that the Capitol has done to the Districts of Panem. It's quite sad. I hear the whirling from the video. This is how I know that they're playing the past victories. Everyone in the audience gasps as they watch my games.

I hated them. I don't ever want to see those games again, nor will I ever speak about them. They should have never happened. They should just be forgotten. What everyone in that arena went through was despicable. Nobody should ever suffer from something as terrible as that. The mutts, the floods, the buildings crashing, the fire, i-it's all too much.

''Give it up for our fellow Victor, Joydin Coalman,'' Justin says as he claps. Nobody in the audience claps, and I don't blame them. I wouldn't clap either, especially if I wasn't a Victor. I'd be like everyone out there in Twelve; afraid.

''Well,'' Justin says unimpressed. ''Let's just see who our two tributes for this years games are, shall we?'' I watch as he walks over towards the girls' bowl and quickly pulls out a slip. He wasted no time picking it up. He even had his eyes closed.

''Sashen Baize,'' he reads out. ''Once again to you imbeciles, Sashen Baize.''

I watch as one Capitolite walks over towards one of the largest coffin that has a spear entering someone's head. Ouch...

I watch as the girl gets zapped with the gold light and she quickly sits up. She gasps for air and then touches the back of her skull. ''Agh!'' she yells as she rubs her skull. You can't see the cut in the back of her head, but you can see that some of her hair has been cut because of the spear.

''Huh?'' she asks. ''What's going on?'' She looks around at everyone in front of her and realizes that she's on the reaping stage for the Hunger Games. ''Wait, am I being reaped? I thought I already was- wait! Is... What?''

''Listen, sweetie,'' Justin says in a slow voice. ''You died first in your games, that's why your head hurts. You already know that, though, don't you? The Capitol brought you back for the one hundred seventy-fifth games to compete once more.''

''So a Quarter Quell...'' she says to herself. She looks up at Justin and holds her breath for some time. ''There's nothing that I can do to change that, damn. I just hope that this time will be different.'' she says as she looks over towards me. I can see the pity in her eyes as she realizes that I'm the only Victor in these chairs. I smile at the sweet girl and hold my hands towards my chest.

''Cia Arongan,'' Justin calls out into the mic. One Capitolites all walk over towards a coffin almost as large as Sashen's and open it up. He zaps the boy, Cia, inside and then walks to the back of the coffin. Cia sits up and starts looking around.

''Who the fuck are you people?'' his language absolutely shocked me. I haven't heard anyone speak like that in quite a while. I put my head down and then begin to shake it. ''Who the fuck is that old bitch?''

Everyone gasps and then Justin steps up. ''Watch your damn mouth! That's your mentor, child. You've been brought back into a Quarter Quell to compete for the Capitol, once again.''

''Oh, okay,'' he chuckles. ''I don't give a fuck! Fuck everyone else in these games, I'll kill them all. Oh, and fuck her, too!'' he says pointing towards Sashen. ''Who is that, my partner or something? I'll kill her even worse than I do to anyone else. I'm just better than all of you here!''

He receives a slap across the face by Justin, and the he huffs. Justin then turns around to the crowd and states, ''Your tributes representing District Twelve, Sashen Baize and C-Cia Arongan...''

Cia quickly gets up and starts to stumble. ''Fuck!'' he yells out. Oh, Lord, someone please help this child. I don't know how in the world I'm going to cope with him around. I know it's wrong to favor tributes, but Sashen is by far the one who I want to make it far. If Cia wins, District Twelve is doomed.

I watch as he flicks off the entire crowd and then crawls towards me. ''Hey, old bitch, help me up!'' I get up and walk over towards Sashen. I hold the girls hand and then start to walk with her.

''I'll teach you everything that I know,'' I smile at her. She smiles back at me and gives me a quick hug. I didn't expect that, but I give her one right back. ''Oh, thank you!'' she jumps.

''HEY, HEY!'' I hear Cia shouting from the back. ''HEY, FUCK YOU GUYS! UGH, FUCK YOU TOO, OLD BITCH!''

Oh, God... I don't understand what goes on through this young mans mind, but I know that it's nothing good. I just hope that he changes his ways by the time these games start because I know that he won't be lasting long. Especially not with the careers; I doubt anyone of them is going to tolerate that obnoxious behavior of his.

I brush my arm against Sashen's dark brown hair and wipe the sweat away from her warm, brown eyes. I look closely at Sashen's skinny build and compare it to Cia's lean build. Cia seems to have muscle on him, but I don't think that's enough for him. Sashen seems like a person you'd be able to like easily, someone you'd like to meet, someone that you wouldn't expect a killer instinct from.

I can do a lot with Sashen, especially because of how she is now. I think Sashen is going far, but Cia, on the other hand, is different. I don't know what I'm going to do with him, but I'll try. If Calieh was here, he'd know how to deal with Cia. Oh, Calieh... I miss you already.

* * *

 **A/N: Omg, reapings are finally done. I'm so happy, because who likes writing reapings? If only I just jumped into the games, but oh well, it doesn't matter much to me. I guess it gives you guys a little insight on the tributes, and I guess that's enough of the Victors' POVs. I'll be focusing on all of your tributes' POVs from now on, and sorry if I get your tribute later on in the story. It's totally nothing person, I'm just trying to get some earlier than others because I have plans for a ton of these tributes and I don't want to be giving one person three POVs before the game even start.**

 **Oh, and the polls are closed, so you can go check out where your tribute stands. Look at District Two killing the polls, omg! Well, at least everyone at least has one vote, I think. Anyways, I'll try to get these chapters in more quickly. I kinda ran out of ideas for the Victors' POVs but I have a ton for your tributes. God, I'm gonna have so much fun making you guys love some of them and then just ripping them away from you because only one can win. :)**

 **You guys asked for more male Victors POVs, and I actually wasn't intending on making three female Victor POVs last chapter. Zane was supposed to be the POV for District Nine, but then I just started thinking about Lilac's problems and that escalated to her POV. I tried my hardest to make Jamie memorable, but I don't think that turned out well. I think I did pretty good with Conly because of his peacekeeper problem, but Idk. You guys let me know, please.**

 **Omg, Ansley! A death before the games? Yes. I always planned on someone dying before the games started whether it was a peacekeeper, stylist, mentor, etc. I mean, I think that you all would rather have Caner die than some random peacekeeper, but after all he did to Conly, I think he deserved it. They both deserve it and it might happen to Caner, as well. Who knows?**

 **I have no idea why I named him Conly Schism. What the hell? I went back and looked at the name, and I absolutely hated it. It sounded fine in my head when I was thinking of the Victor names at the time, but as I reread that name, I absolutely despised it** **. It just sounds weird and awkward. Conly Schism... Conly Schism... No, it just.. i-it doesn't sound good to me, lol.**

 **Did anyone else get hungry when reading the food thing in Joydin's POV? No? Okay... I mean, that's so easy to make. I mean, like, what even is a frattata? I can totally make that... My recipes... I can totally make that on my own... :'( Well, I'm gonna go get a snack c:**

 **Sorry for those of you who might not like the 9000 word chapter** **s. I dunno, I've gotten used to writing 9000 words, and it's totally changed the way I write. I used to do like 5000 words with 6 POVs a chapter, but I totally changed that and I don't feel as though I can go back. I mean, I thought the longer the chapter is, the better, but idk. Hopefully you guys can understand if you don't really like it.**

 **OH! I almost forgot. If you guys can catch the Everybody Hates Chris reference in Conly's POV, I'll give you one thousand sponsor points straight off the bat. Yes, there will be a sponsor system and one thousand can get you a lot ;) Also, if you can tell which celebrity Conly is based off irl, that'll be another one thousand points. No, it's not his FC. I just tweaked out his history a bit. Also, one last thing. If you can find the Wild N' Out reference or the song lyrics, then I will add another one thousand. I'm not given any tips besides one: The celeb that Conly is based off of made the song. It's three thousand points, guys. You got this! Good luck if you decide to try xD You can basically buy yourself the win with those points. Have fun! :)**

* * *

 **Favorite mentor of this chapter?**

 **Least favorite of this chapter?**

 **Favorite tribute of this chapter?**

 **Least favorite?**

 **Favorite tribute in the entire story besides your own?**

 **Least favorite in all of the story?**

 **Anything I can do to make this story better?**

* * *

 **Anyways, that's all for this chapter! I hope that all liked it, and I'll see you next chapter. The train rides will be up next and I'll try to make it as interesting as my mind and fingers can possibly make it. I hope it's enough for your satisfaction. Bye! ^-^**


	8. I Haven't Been On This Train In A While

**Train Rides Part One:**

* * *

 **Parvati Hallows, 17;**

 **District One Female**

So this is what it's like. Hmm, I haven't been on these trains in years. I can't believe how fast time flew by. It's been over a decade since I've ever touched anything. Everything has changed. Back when I was still alive the Capitol didn't have all these fancy accessories on the trains. It's surprising, but beautiful at the same time.

The delicacies are even more splendid than they were before. The cookies are covered in all sorts of things: sprinkles, chocolate, sugar, jelly, raisins- Um, raisins... Great. They've even got this whole room dedicated to District One! That's awesome. They've got pictures of all past Victors, too.

They have one giant frame in the center of all Victors. Standing there is one of our mentors, and it says here that he had...fifteen kills! What? How the hell...? He must of cheated. He's probably using some real-life hacks or something like that. I just can't see that happening. He must really be something, huh?

I turn to my right to see my District partner staring at me with a bright smile on his face. I don't want to make this awkward, so I just smile back at him. I wave my hand slowly at him and he waves right back. I watch as he cuts the meatballs on his place and stabs a fork into it.

He lifts up the fork and places it in his mouth while slowly chewing on the meatball. He smiles at me and offers me one. I deny and then turn back around to the portrait. What's his name? Gari? Gari Salvatore. It says here that he won last year. That isn't too shocking since District One is obviously the best career District.

The only thing about this is that every tribute who won the games before him are in their early forties or older. God, how long did it take for us to receive another Victor? It says here that we went on a thirty year drought! Well, not said, but if you do the math right.

I focus more and more on the pictures until I hear sharp cutting which makes me quickly turn around to see Hero dropping his knife on the tablecloth as his arm bleeds. I look at where the red liquid oozes from, and-

''OH MY GOD, HERO!'' I shout at him. ''YOU SLIT YOUR WRIST!'' I quickly run over towards him and he starts to cackle. I quickly stop in my place and then back up. Hero gets up and grabs the sharp knife that he used to cut his wrist and runs after me with it.

Oh my God, what the hell?! He seemed so different at the reapings, and now he's trying to kill me? I run to the door that Gari and Reese went inside and I try to open it; it's locked. Shit! I turn around to see Hero throwing the knife straight at me. I close my eyes and lean against the door as soon as it opens.

I fall right into Gari's arms and then he quickly lets me go and catches the knife that Hero threw. Hero dies out laughing and then looks straight at us. ''Oh my goodness, you should've seen your face!'' he holds onto his stomach as if he's actually dying. ''You thought that I was actually gonna kill you!''

I look straight at him and then smile. I should have known someone as pretty as that wasn't going to be the most mature. The way his brown eyes always hold a sparkle to them, the way he leaves his messy brown hair without brushing, the good-looking features, the lean muscle on his body, and the smile that's always on his face... I can use him to my advantage.

''Oh, Hero,'' I twirl my finger around my hair. ''That was pretty c-'' Without a word, Gari quickly moves towards Hero and picks him up by the collar of his shirt. Before anyone can say a word, Gari slams Hero down onto the glass table that's full of food and plants on top of it.

The table breaks instantly and Hero's head hits the ground roughly. Hero bleeds a little bit on his arms because of the sharp pieces of glass that are stuck in them. I look in shock and narrow my eyes over to Reese. When I look back, Gari stands right in front of me.

He picks me up by the collar of my shirt and throws me on top of Hero who lets out a groan as my body forcefully falls onto his stomach. Gari then sits down right in front of us and has a stern look on his face. He looks straight into my eyes as I sit up and groan.

''You two think this is a game, don't you?'' he asks abruptly. He starts throwing the knife that he caught up into the air and points it towards the both of us. I'm thinking that it's a rhetorical question, but Gari seems to be growing impatient and a vein on his head starts to pop out.

''Well, it is called the Hunger Games for a reason,'' Hero starts to chuckle. Gari quickly throws the knife straight between Hero and I; it lands right in the middle of where our hands intersect. I smile to myself and then quickly hold Hero's hands, squeeze them tightly, and face him. I wrap my free arm around him, hug him tightly, and press my lips against his ears.

''Hero, please,'' I beg. ''Help me, I'm scared!'' Hero seems to be getting uncomfortable as he tenses up. He tries to push me off of him gently but I just squeeze tighter. My arms wrap around his neck on the floor and I lie right on top of him.

''Okay...'' Hero says shyly. ''Um, you can get off now.'' He pushes me off of his body slowly and gently then sits up. He rips the piece of glass out of his arm and then shivers in pain. He then begins to lightly as he throws it at Gari who blocks it with his knuckle.

Who the hell is this guy? From his impressive abilities that we've seen so far, I feel as though those fifteen kills weren't just a fluke. He might have actually killed fifteen tributes. I want to see his games! I don't know how or what triggered in his mind when he was in the arena last year, but that must be a record!

I feel a smooth, light hand touch against my shoulder where the cut on my arena attire was. Ha, I actually remember the arena that year. It was a cave and we were all dressed up as cavemen. Oh, man, the boys in that arena were so perverted since the bottom of the woman's attire were cut open and you could see the underwear that we wore. Hmm, memories.

''Hey,'' says the woman touching my shoulder. ''Sorry for the rude introduction. Gari just gets overwhelmed whenever he sees a new tribute. Even though this is only his first year mentoring.''

Reese narrows her eyes over towards Gari and he shrugs. She then turns to look at Hero while I play with my gold charm bracelet. I'm so happy that they at least let me keep my token; it means a lot to me.

''Hero and Parvati, listen up,'' says Reese. ''You both already know the drill. You're both careers and you've been trained for your entire lives so you know exactly what happens during the games. Unfortunately, you both died first last time and the District isn't too happy with you guys. But, if one of you can make it back alive, I'm sure that will all change. For the other one, hopefully you don't go out first again.''

Hero and I quickly glance at each other and then back at Reese. ''All Gari and I want to know is if you want to train together or separately. We'll give you guys five minutes to think about it, but after that we need an answer. Go ahead and discuss this among yourselves.''

I don't even bother to look at Hero. All I do is play with the charm bracelet that I have on. I remember when I first got this. Amanda, Cirie, and I were each one of the three animals on here; Amanda the koala, Cirie the tiger, and me the elephant. I remember when we used to hang out before I volunteered for these dreadful games.

I don't even want to think about it. ''Times up,'' says Gari as he looks in between the both of us. Hero hasn't said a word, but as soon as he opens up his mouth I interrupt. ''Together!'' I shout.

Everybody narrows their eyes towards me and Reese's mouth is gaped open. Gari widens his eyes and then Hero looks at me as if I'm the person who killed him. As we meet eyes, I smile at him and then blow a quick kiss. He blushes intensely and then quickly turns away.

He starts to chuckle and then gasps for air. ''Yeah,'' he says nervously. ''Together.'' I sit up and put both of my hands on his shoulders. I then rub them smoothly as Reese smiles at me. All three of us begin to chuckle and then are quickly interrupted by Gari.

''Alone,'' he says simply. We all look at him in confusion because we don't understand what he's trying to say. ''Did I stutter? I said that you guys are training alone, and I'm getting Parvati. I can't train such an immature child.''

Reese stares up at Gari with widened eyes. ''You fucking hypocrite,'' she begins to laugh. ''You were the exact same as Hero, and now you're judging him? Don't you remember how you did almost the exact same thing to me when I caught the fork that you threw? Now look at you, fifteen kills and Panem's greatest Victor. Hero is the same person as you, Gari, and he might even surpass you.''

''No,'' Gari says. ''Hero is not the same as me, because I've changed.''

''Oh, and like Hero won't change after his games?'' Reese asks questionably. ''He'll become a greater Victor than you with my help. He'll have sixteen kills, even though he could get more, but just so that he can rub it in your face.''

''Okay,'' Gari narrows his eyes over towards me. ''Let's see about that.'' Hero and I stare at each other and just like that my plans have been torn apart. I swear, Gari will ruin everything for me. I'm gonna have to change up my strategy if I want to still have Hero on my side.

But still, that was so dumb of Gari! He decided—although Hero and I already did—to not pair us up together and train us separately. Oh my God, this is gonna be more difficult than I thought.

Hero stands up and walks over towards Reese. Our mentors both look over at us and start talking about the careers. ''You guys are joining the careers this year, right?'' asks Gari. Hero nods his head and that puts a smile on Gari's face. ''Good. Back-stab them when you feel the time is right, understand?''

Hero looks over at me and I look at Gari. I gulp and then stare straight at him. ''We will,'' I try to chuckle. ''Isn't that the obvious thing to do when the competition is getting short?''

It's all a lie, though, because I'm not joining the careers this year. Not after what happened in my last games. Not after Sophia. Not after my own alliance betrayed me before we even got out of the cornucopia! That bitch! The girls in that alliance always hated me because of how liked I was by the Capitol. Being the Capitol's favorite was a good and bad thing, but I didn't expect them to kill me first!

Damn Sophia shoved a trident through my chest! God, if I ever had the chance to get my hands on her, I would strangle her, shove a knife straight into her throat, bring her back to life, and then kill her all over again! How dare she! Worst of all is I don't even know if she won or not!

I'm not joining the careers this year, and that's that. If I joined the careers, the bitch from Four would most likely try to kill me. I don't even know who she is and I intend on killing her. I intend on painfully killing her with every weapon in my arsenal. I'm gonna do anything and everything that I can to make sure that Four doesn't get the better of me.

I don't know who it is this year, but she better watch her back because I'm coming for her, and when I finally get her-

''Come on, the two of you,'' Gari interrupts my thinking. ''Let's go watch the recaps of today's reapings. We have to see who our alliance is, don't we?''

''Yeah,'' says Hero playing with a knife. Gari looks straight at Hero and then shuffles his eyebrows a little bit. ''I thought I took that away from you.''

''Heh,'' Hero lets out lightly. ''That's a smart idea because you shouldn't trust me around fire or sharp objects, but isn't that what a career are supposed to be able to do? Grab whatever he or she wants without anyone noticing their wrong-doings?''

''Look at you,'' says Gari. ''You were on my bad-side at first, but I think differently of you, kid. Let's see what we can do with you.''

''We?'' Reese asks abruptly. ''I thought you said you called Parvati, am I right? No, sweetie. Hero's mine, and what I do with him will be ten times better than what I did with you.''

''Whatever,'' Gari scoffs. ''You taught me, remember? I can use all of that I learned from you to teach Parvati how to win the games this time around.''

''Yes, but I didn't teach you everything. You have a lot more that you need to go through, Gari. Plus, Hero's learning from the best here, am I right or am I right?''

Gari rolls his eyes and grabs onto my hand. He walks over towards the film room while Reese and Hero follow after us. I smile as I hold the door open for the both of them and squeeze on Hero's shoulder as he walks by.

He looks at me and then blushes. I smile at him and tell him that I'm looking forward to being his ally. Oh man, this is gonna be fun. Hero's gonna be of great use to me, and I can't wait until the show begins.

* * *

 **Levi Wyatt, 17;**

 **District Five Male**

I-I can't believe that I'm actually back.

It's been quiet for a while. Our mentors aren't even here, and Enigma doesn't even bother to look at me. I don't think she has a problem with me, but the whole being brought back to life thing must have damaged her a bit. Especially knowing that she died first last time. We all have and it hurts.

I'm really happy that I was brought back to life. I know that the Capitol didn't exactly ''choose'' me, but I came back because of the regular reapings, and believe me or not when I tell you that I'm actually happy that I get to compete in these games again.

No, I'm not excited about going back into the arena to kill. No, I'm not excited about the mutts that will come after me. And no, I'm not excited that I get to avenge myself by killing the tributes from the District that killed me. I'm simply happy because if I win, I get to rejoin my family, and that's something I'd love to do.

I'm not exactly the biggest fan of killing other children, tributes, whatever you want to call them, but I will do it if it means being able to come back to Leroy and mom. Life has just been a struggle ever since I was thirteen. That was just the beginning of when everything went downhill for me, and I regret those days of misery.

A car accident took away my father and caused severe misery to my family. My mother was paralyzed and had to be hospitalized because of the accident. I couldn't believe it. Everything that occurred was just...terrible! Why did that have to happen to me of all people? Did I really deserve it? I never did anything wrong, I listened to my parents, I showed my respect to everyone that I met, and I supported everyone that I knew.

Having my mother hospitalized was terrible. I-I thought that things were going to get better because they always do. They always get better! We couldn't live in our home anymore because the peacekeepers knew where we lived, and without parents we wouldn't be able to keep the house. My mother couldn't work, my father was... He wasn't around, and my brother, Leroy, couldn't do everything on his own no matter how hard he tried.

Living on the streets was tough. But one day when Maxwell, our "foster" father, took us into his home, I thought everything was going to become better. I never expected for a drug dealer to sell me to his clients, but I'm happy that I had Leroy to protect me. Drugging them wasn't the best way to take care of our problems, but it ensured my safety.

Maxwell found out, though, and that didn't mean anything good for us. Knowing that he tried to hurt us made my brother do things I never thought he would do. I never expected for my brother to hurt someone in the way he did.

I didn't even know he was capable of doing what he did. Let's just say that Maxwell isn't with us anymore. I finally realized that what they told me in school was true; everyone really is capable of murder. I figured that out when Leroy...

I-I miss Leroy. They split us up, taking him to a jail for juveniles and me to an orphanage, but I WASN'T an orphan! I still had my mother! She was still here with me, but I could never see her again. To make it all worse, nobody wanted to adopt a thirteen-year-old boy with such a terrible past. I thought life was supposed to be good, but I guess not everyone and everything agree on the subject. Especially not life itself. Well, at least not to me.

That's why I need to win! I have to come back a Victor so that I can live with my mother and brother again. I don't want to die again. If I do, it's surely over for my family. I just, I-I can't. I can't leave them again! My mother would have to watch as I die a second time, my brother will be severely ridiculed by the District, and I just won't be existent in this world anymore.

No matter how cruel and corrupt this evil system of Panem is, I want to be able to live with my family rather than be dead and have them suffering.

''Are you okay?'' asks Enigma suddenly.

''Huh?'' I say as I look up at Enigma's eyes. She moves her honey blonde hair to the right of her shoulder and stares at me. ''I asked if you were okay.''

I stare straight at her long and blonde eyelashes. My eyes narrow down to her naturally tinted pink lips and then I snap out of it. I just didn't expect for her to be worried about me. Nobody usually is besides Leroy...

''Yeah,'' I cough up. My voice is raspy from not speaking for quite a bit. I turn my head away and stare at the closed door. It's been a while since I've been on this train and the motion it's going at is beyond what I'd ever imagine. District Six really seems to be helping the Capitol out with these fancy vehicles. The vehicles that took away someone important to me. ''Why?''

''Because you were crying,'' Enigma says suddenly. ''You were tearing up as you just sat there and stared off into space.''

Oh, I didn't even realize that I was crying. It's just that the mentioning of my family really makes me emotional. I don't like speaking about them for a reason, but keeping them out of my mind is nearly impossible for me to do. I wasn't even trying to ask Enigma why she asked if I was okay, it was more of asking the heavens why I was destined with such a terrible fate.

''No,'' I try to wave it off. ''I'm fine, trust me. Thanks for asking, though.''

''Oh, no,'' she says. ''I wasn't worried or anything. I just didn't want you messing up my image by crying when we arrived to the Capitol.'' Of course. I had a feeling that she was your average blonde: dumb, ditzy, and self-centered. On the bright side, she won't have to wait long before she dies in the arena.. I bet she fell off of her pedestal last time, but that's none of my business.

She walks away and I stare right at her. As I stare, she starts to look at her nails and play with her hair. The sound of the door opening makes both of our heads turn quickly and our mentors walk out. I watch as the female mentor walks out, and she looks no younger than sixteen.

''Hey, guys!'' she says with such a bright smile on her face. Her blonde hair is glistening in the sunlight of the open windows. Now that I think about it, I should just jump out of this window. I don't see why it's open in the first place, but there must be a barrier around it to prevent me from escaping. It's still worth a try, though.

''I'm Kelsin and this is Delvin,'' she says in that bubbly attitude of hers. ''As you know, we're your mentors and we're gonna do everything in our prowess to make sure that one of you comes back from the arena.''

I lock eyes with Kelsin and we both stare at each other while Delvin speaks. Enigma has her eyes locked straight on the speaking Victor while Kelsin and I are just looking at each other. I blink and turn my head towards Delvin. I see from the corner of my eye that Kelsin has her hands locked together and she stares straight at Enigma.

''Wait,'' Enigma says. ''I'm just curious, but when did you win?'' she says pointing at Kelsin. Kelsin looks back at her and smiles that bright smile of hers as she shows her perfect teeth. ''I won seven years ago at the age of twelve.''

''That's why you look so young,'' says Enigma. Kelsin nods her head at Enigma and then towards Delvin. She whispers in Delvin's ear and he nods in agreement. ''Come on,'' he says quickly. ''Let's go watch the recaps of the reapings.''

I quickly get up and walk over towards where the two Victors are. ''Wrong way,'' Delvin says. I quickly stop in my tracks, turn around and hear Kelsin's light chuckle from afar. I open up the door to the film room and hold it open for everyone else to come in. I close it after Enigma thanks me and then sit down on one of the cushy chairs.

Without a single word, Delvin presses a button on the remote and the video plays. I was about to say something until Enigma opened up her mouth to give us all her analyzed opinion on all of the District's. I'm actually interested in what she has to say.

''District One is going to be different from the others,'' she begins. ''Neither of the two squirmed around or were scared from what we've seen. You'd think so, but something about them is different. The boy always has a smile on his face and he seems happy to be back. The girl, on the other hand, has a more serious expression that shows you that she won't stop at anything to win.''

''District Two's tributes are both ruthless. The way that Asyrin grabbed the Capitolite and choked him shows you that he will do anything to anyone that he gets his hands on. I see him possessing a brutal weapon such as a machete or mace. He's definitely a threat and it won't be easy taking him out. The girl, Isha, seems like she has something on her mind. She's obviously lost something precious to her and she hates herself for dying, hence why she was angry when they told her about her death. She won't go down easily either.''

''District Three isn't that big of a threat. The girl doesn't seem as competent as the other tributes that we've seen so far, but she isn't one to die early in the games. The boy, on the other hand, with his foul mouthed language and annoying personality will get himself killed early. Nobody will like him, end of story.''

''District Four possesses two tributes who I think might go far, but like every District Four tribute, one of them will die quite early. The girl thinks she's prepared, but I don't think she knows what she's getting into. The boy has something up his sleeve, and- You know what, how about we move on?''

''District Six has two competitors from what I've seen. The boy clearly wants to make it out alive, but I don't think he has what it takes. The girl seems innocent, but too innocent. If it comes down to it she might actually kill. It's not likely, but there is a possibility that she will hurt someone who she knows will hurt her. I feel as though she won't go for allies, and that's a smart idea.''

''District Seven is different this year. Usually, both of their tributes are ready to compete and battle it out, but only one was this year. Orion is definitely competing this year. He doesn't seem like he will let these games slip away from him, but Eudora just promised that she wouldn't die as terribly as she did last time she died. I don't know what she's hiding or if she's hiding anything at all, but I don't see her making it too far.''

''District Eight is full of psychos like they are ever year. The satanic girl will be trying to get blood all over her and kill as many tributes as she can, but it might not work out as planned. Maybe it will, but the boy will surely break down. He seems like this being brought back to life thing has messed with his head and it's screwing him up.''

''District Nine has a confident tribute, I see. That confidence is gonna hurt him once he meets the tributes in this years games. The girl seems like she's completely sick and tired of life, but she won't go down as easily as she did before. She might not pose the largest threat, but she's definitely not the weakest tribute out there.''

''District Ten is good this year. That boy is a serious competition poser. He might make it far and he might not, but he will do whatever it takes to kill. The girl, Mickaela, is your usual twelve-year-old girl who screams her mind out and ends up dying earlier than others in the games. I might be wrong, but as of now that's what it seems like.''

''District Eleven are both two children who think that they're tough. Neither of the two are going far no matter what anyone thinks. Quartz thinks he's prepared and Brysia thinks she's hard with those face expressions. News flash to the both of them, neither of them are making it out of the bloodbath. District Eleven can kiss their chances of winning goodbye.''

''Last but not least, District Twelve,'' she sighs. ''Sashen is one of those closely attached tributes. She'll meet someone here that she likes and then she'll get too attached to them. It won't turn out well for her unless she can do something to get rid of that habit of hers. Cia is just an arrogant and obnoxious tribute who thinks that he can go far in the games, but usually ends up being a bloodbath. Him and Carter would be a perfect alliance. These tributes all think that they're big and bad but when it comes to the bloodbath they're all screwed.''

Kelsin, Delvin, and I all just stare at Enigma. Mouth gaped and everything. I didn't expect this to come out from such a ditzy looking girl. I thought that she was just your average blonde, but no! She's much different than that.

Her opinion on the tributes this year are absolutely impressive. She doesn't even know them, but I have a strange feeling that everything she said might be what we get from them. It's kind of scary, actually. Everything that she knows- Well, thinks that she knows seems to be on point, and she might figure me out completely.

I can't have her knowing my strengths and weaknesses; I can't have her knowing how I fight; I can't have her knowing anything crucial about me.

If I let her know, it might just be the end of me, again. No, not again!

* * *

 **Mickaela Robenson, 12;**

 **District Ten Female**

Jamie has been quite nice to me ever since I was reaped back into these hurtful games. He held my hand, told me that he'd be right there beside me when I entered these games, and said that he'd teach me almost everything that he knew.

I was really happy when he told me all of this because he's such a nice mentor. My last mentor wasn't like this; he just drank in front of me as I begged and pleaded for his help. It just didn't turn out right, though. I never had the chance that all the other tributes in those games had because I was weak.

I never stood a chance against all the others; I was never going to win. Everyone knew it, even my mentor knows it this year. He helps me out and treats me like a baby because he knows that I won't survive for long. He knows that I'm a bloodbath and that I'll never change. That's all I am.

He's even talking to Julio right now. I'm not filled in on what it is, but I know that they're talking about when I'm out of the way he's gonna win it easier because he won't have to worry about dead-weight on his back. That's exactly what I am! I'm useless and insecure because that's just who I am!

Julio... H-He just has that annoyance to him. He's favored over me because he's older and more likely to win. He's annoying, he hates me, and he's always giving me dirty looks. He smiles at me in a cruel way because he knows that I'll die by his hands.

It's always been this way. It always has! Ever since Roanne was jumped. They beat her, almost ended her life, even! She was badly injured and could barely move. They robbed her and abused her. To top it all off, it was the poorer kids who did it all, too!

You wouldn't think that poor kids would ever attack the richer kids, but you're wrong. From every T.V. show to movie that I've seen, the richer kids always made fun of the poorer ones and beat them up, but that was the total opposite this time around.

She was trapped in a state of shock, so Tarah and I had to stay with her the week before the reapings; it was a terrible time for something like that to happen. To top it all off, I was the one reaped for the one hundred fifty-first games. It was such a terrible time, and when I was brought back I saw my family.

My mother, father, and brother have all aged so much! My brother has grown into an adult and is in his thirty's. I couldn't believe that I'd been asleep for that long. My parents are both elders now, and my friends...

Well, after my parents left Tarah ran straight into the Justice Building to see me. She wrapped me around her warm, embracing arms and squeezed me tighter than she's ever squeezed before. I felt my chest pumping and my eyes trying to escape from their sockets.

I asked where Roanne was, but apparently she fell into a deep depression and killed herself after my death. If only I saw her. I regret everything that happened. These games are nothing but torture, and I hate, hate, hate them!

Who am I to complain, though? I'll just die again because that's how I am. I'll never win! Who in their right mind would think that someone like me could win? When have we ever heard of a twelve-year-old Victor before? No one because we've never had one!

I-I... I hate these stupid games and the stupid people who created them! Why? To make it all worse they brought me back to life, and for what? Just so that I could fill their satisfaction by struggling for my life? Is that what they want from me? Is that what they all think of me? Someone that they can just bring back to life just to die all over again?! Well, NO! I won't. I refuse to go back into those games! I-I want to-

''Mickaela!'' I hear Jamie call out my name. ''Mickaela, are you listening?'' I look up and see Jamie staring at me. I turn my head to look straight at Julio who smiles at me with those gray eyes of his. They stare right into my soul and taunt me without even saying a word.

He hates me, I can just see the hatred in his eyes. He smiles as he rubs his dark, wavy brown hair and picks up a sugar coated cookie. ''Yeah,'' I reply to Jaime. He looks straight at me and then notices that I'm shaking wildly. I can't help it, though. That's just how I'm feeling right now, because I'm so nervous.

Julio chuckles a little, and I glare right at him. I can just tell what type of person he is. He's a judging piece of crap! I hate him already! He's gonna severely judge me as a partner and then he'll kill me off during the bloodbath. I-I hate this! Why is life so dang cruel?!

''Mickaela, we need to find you allies. Julio and you are both going to train together, and if you decide to be allies then I think it'll work out. You'll know each others strengths and weaknesses, and that could help strengthen your bo-''

''No,'' I say.

''E-Excuse me?'' Jamie asks. I'm not allying with him! He'll just betray me and use everything that he learns about me to his advantage. He'll use it to kill me and then laugh as he steps over my corpse. No way, I'm not letting him kill me!

Jamie always loved him the most, anyway. He pretended to single me out and act as if he cared about me, but I know that he likes Julio more. The way he looked at Julio when we were both reaped, it snapped straight into my mind that he always liked him more. Why Julio? Why not me? Am I not Victor material to you? Am I the weak one here? Why does Julio have to be more important than me?! It's just no fair!

''No, I don't want to ally with Julio,'' I say in annoyance. ''I want someone around my age to ally with and he's like a hundred years older than me!''

Julio's eyebrows raise in an instance and he stops eating his cookie. He looks straight at me, but doesn't say anything. He just smiles at me in a polite manner and that makes my skin boil. Stop looking at me that way! Why does he get to do that?

Don't look at me! You have no right to look in my direction, so don't! Oh my God, he's still staring! STOP IT!

''Well, if that's how you feel,'' Julio says. Oh my God, shut up! Why? H-He's so annoying! Do you see that? He knows that he's better than me, so he's already rubbing it in! He knows that he's gonna make it further than I am so he's trying to get into my head!

''No, no,'' Jamie cuts in. ''It's fine, but the both of you will still have to train together since we don't have two mentors this year.''

''That's totally fine,'' says Julio. ''I'm not too trusting on others, anyway. Last time I trusted a group of people I died, and I don't plan on that happening again.''

Are you serious?! See, it's as if he's shoving a knife into my face and twisting it all around, but mentally! He knows what he's doing, too! I-I can't believe this! How could someone be so cruel? I have done nothing wrong to this boy, yet he's already trying to get on my case!

Why do people do this to each other? I don't even know him properly and he's already trying to kill me! Why, Julio? Why are you doing this to me? I don't even know what to think anymore after everything that he's said and done. Does he really hate me that much? Does he really think I'm that useless?

I know that I won't make it as far as him, but he doesn't have to do this to me! He doesn't have to make me feel worse than I already do! With all of this going on, I might as well give up. I don't even want to be here! Then again, who does? Why couldn't they just bring me back to life and let me live back in Ten with my family?

Maybe I should just end it right now! I mean, there's a knife right in front of me! I should just end it right now. One easy hold and then I can shove it right into my throat. It's that simple, I can end it before the games even start. I don't have to get killed by the hands of someone who I despise, I can end my own life. That would be so much easier. I don't have to go through all the pain and suffering that they'd give me. I'd be tortured by the other tributes, but on my own I'd end it as quick as possible.

That's exactly how I'd rather go out; by my own hands.

I never expected to be brought back after death, but now that I'm back everything just seems to be much worse! Why? WHY?

"Well, since you two aren't going to be allies we'll have to find you each someone to ally with. Sure, you can play the games alone if you want but allies help much more."

"I plan on having allies," says Julio as he looks away from me. "I didn't ever consider Mickaela as one, but after watching the film, I've seen some tributes who I think I would enjoy allying with."

"And who are they?"Jamie asks.

"I think the boys from Six and Nine could be useful," Julio smiles. "They're both around my age from the looks of it, and like Mickaela, I like having people around my age as allies."

So now he doesn't even want me? I knew that hated me, but this is too much. "What makes you think that they want to ally with you?" I suddenly ask. I didn't even realize that I opened up my mouth, but I totally regret asking. I don't want to talk to Julio and he doesn't want to talk to me. I know it, he knows it and Jamie knows it.

"I never said that they would ally with me, but I do intend on somehow getting them to agree," he looks at me with stern eyes. He looks me up and down and then comments on my small posture. He then turns back to Jamie. "I don't intend on sticking with them for long, though. After a while, I'll just kill them."

Jamie looks at him in a mixture of shock and disappointment. I don't know if Julio reminds Jamie of himself, but that comment seems to have hit him straight to the heart.

"I remember you," he mumbles.

"What?" Julio asks. "Did you say something?"

Jamie shakes his head and turns towards me. "Alright then, it's settled. The both of you will find your own allies, but remember that you're still from the same District. I don't want to see any conflict between the two of you, and I certainly don't want you guys making a scene in front of the other tributes or in the arena. Got that?"

Great! He's telling us not to fight in the arena because he knows that Julio would surely win! Why does he keep siding with Julio? Is Julio that great? What has Julio ever done to be loved so much? I just don't understand!

I can feel it in my throat. The rage wanting to just be shot out, but I can't find the right words. Julio nods his head at Jamie while I'm over here choking on my own words. No, no! I'm going to win the fight. I can do it too, y'know? I feel it, I'm about to burst. It's gonna come out.

"Do you agree, Mickaela?" with that, everything that I was about to yell out is completely obliterated by the sound of Jamie's voice. Everything that I say now is because of the little piece of humanity left in my body that keeps me from going insane.

"Yes," I somehow manage to say.

The two smile at me and I absolutely hate myself. Why, Mickaela? Why do you always fall under the pressure? Is it on purpose or on accident?

Either way, it better not happen in the arena.

* * *

 **A/N: Herro! So that's train rides part one. Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit shorter than the others. I completely rushed the crap out of this, and I have no idea why I did. I guess I just wanted to get it out by Sunday, and I did! Sorry if some of the sentences during this chapter made no sense at all. I wrote most of this on my phone and tried proof reading, but I don't know if I fixed every mistake there was. My texting game isn't that good... So sorry if it makes absolutely no sense and seems like I didn't try at all. Anyways, thanks for the kind words in the reviews, and all of your feedback has been totally helpful and I love it! :)**

 **For the sponsor points, I was actually surprised that some of you guys got it. I thought it was gonna be difficult except for the EHC question, but I guess it wasn't. Congrats AaronIris34, LokiThisIsMadness, 20, and Brooke for getting the questions right. I'll have all the sponsor points listed at the bottom of this chapter and everything that you can buy. If there's anything extra that you guys might want from the sponsor system. Idk, just tell me if there's anything that you thought I might've missed or anything that you'd like that's not on the list.**

 **Brooke and Loki both get 1000 from the EHC question, and Aaron and 20 get 1000 for the artist. Wrong song, though. Congrats to you all, use those points wisely ;) It could either end up killing your tribute or pushing them further. Nah, I'm screwing with you, use them on whatever the hell you want. Alright, well, that's all for now. Here are the questions and your current points.**

* * *

 **Which on of these tributes would you rather have as a partner if you were in the games?**

 **What would you do if your District partner ran after you with a knife on the train?**

 **What would you think/do if your mentor clearly liked your partner better than you?**

* * *

 **Food:**

Bag of chips: 5 points

Pack of crackers: 5 points

Trail Mix: 5 points

Energy Bar: 10 points

Granola Bar: 10 points

Beef jerky: 10 points

Popcorn: 10 points

One apple: 10 points

Pizza (10 Large cheese or pepperoni pizzas, tell me what you want. Large cup of lemonade) 250 points

BBQ(Ribs, Chicken, and Pork with two cups of lemonade or water. Whatever you choose) 280 points

8 Oz Water Bottle: 25 points

16 Oz Water Bottle: 55 points

64 Oz Water Bottle: 90 points

Basket of fruit(10 different fruits): 30 points

Steak: 80 points

Candy: 5 points each

Fruit punch: 10 points

Chocolate milk: 10 points

If you have any ideas or something that you'd like, PM me or put it in the reviews and I'll agree on a price with you.

* * *

 **Weapons:**

10 throwing knives: 150 points

Sword: 300 points

Sickle: 170 points

Spear: 250 points

Whip: 125 points

Bow and 10 arrows:(2 explosive, 4 poisonous, and 4 normal) 325 points

Scythe: 300 points

Blowgun and 15 darts:(5 poisonous, 5 regular, and 5 diseased) 275 points

Throwing axe: 250 points

Large axe: 300 points

Crossbow: 400 points

Trident: 375 points

Dagger: 90 points

Mace: 200 points

Rapier: 150 points

Pitchfork: 300 points

Javalin: 180

Tranquilizer: 50 points

Boomerang: 100 points

Glaive: 450

Atlatl: 300

War Hammer: 350

Longbow: 400

Chain Scythe: 500

Knife: 30

Hatchet: 300

Tomahawk: 400

Machete: 350

Morning Star: 350

Meteor Hammer: 400

Pickaxe: 250

Swordstaff: 500

Hammer: 250

Quarterstaff: 300

Scimitar: 400

Claymore: 350

Club: 150

Spiked Club: 300

Cleaver: 150

Butcher Knife: 100

* * *

 **Survival Gear:**

Regular Backpack:(Small first aid kit, change of clothes, bug spray, short rope, small amount of matches like 5, and a loaf of bread.): 200

Large Backpack:(Large first aid kit, 15 matches, 1 extra long rope, pair of regular changed clothes, large water bottle, pain killers, one person tent, 2 loafs of bread, 3 apples, kukri knife, a small dagger, body lotion, and a map of the entire arena.): 650

Regular first aid kit: (5 band-aids, tape, and rubbing alcohol): 15 points

Large first aid kit:(20 band-aids, rubbing alcohol, tape, burn cream, venom cleaner thingy, plant book, and rash cream): 40 points

One person tent: 75 points

Flashlight: 100 points

Torch: 25 points each

Multiple person tent: 250

Net: 15 points

Blanket: 50 points

Matches: 50 points

Compass: 75 points

Map: 60 points

Spile: 25 points

Tribute tracker: 1000 points

Boots: 25 points

Shirt: 50 points

Hoodie: 60 points

Pants: 65 points

Belt: 20 points

Jacket: 70 points

Shield: 125 points

Small feet of rope: 5 points

Regular feet of rope: 20 points

Large feet of rope: 30 points

Rubber bands: 5 points each

Change of elite clothes(Shirt, socks, pants, hoodie, sneakers or boots, gloves, and hats): 2000 points

* * *

 **Misc:**

Notepad and pencil or pen: 20 points

Hairbrush: 10 points

Toothbrush and toothpaste: 30 points

Shampoo: 15 points

Glasses: 20 points

Contacts: 30 points

Body lotion: 30 points

Sunscreen: 20 points

Wash cloth: 10 points

* * *

 **Extra: (Things like bloodbath, killing a career, killing a tribute, crap like that.)**

If your tribute kills a tribute: 30 points each kill

If you kill in the bloodbath: 40 points each kill

Kill a career: 90 points each time you do

Surviving the bloodbath: 100 points

Run away from the bloodbath: 50 points

If you are a career: 70 points (not each)

* * *

 **Here's how you get sponsor points:**

 **Here's how you get those points:**

Submit a tribute that gets in: 50 points each

Submitting a bloodbath: 100 points

Each review: 25 points

Following the story: 300 points

Favoriting story: 350 points

 **I don't need a favorite, you just gotta follow the story to let me know that you're actually reading instead of just popping up at random moments and sending stuff for your favorite tribute. You can also be a guest to sponsor whoever the hell you want. Besides those two rules, I have nothing much else to say. So, here are all of your sponsor points so far. Just PM me if you need something unless you're a guest. :)**

* * *

 **IVolunteerAsAuthor: 1575**

 **WizardDemigodGladerGateKeeper: 1975**

 **LokiThisIsMadness: 3025**

 **FlawlessCatastrophe: 3025**

 **Music Rules The World: 1500**

 **Jms2: 800**

 **Jotunheim Storm: 1150**

 **Sally The Lioness: 950**

 **QueenOfCas: 775**

 **Annabeth-TheTributeThatLived: 775**

 **Reader Castellan:925**

 **Ripple237: 425**

 **abbycoraby123: 1850**

 **TheEmeraldQueen: 1000**

 **20: 2050**

 **AaronIris34: 1600**

* * *

 **Thank you guys for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :) I gave some of you guys way more sponsor points than what you actually had because I dunno, I just felt like it. Hope you use them wisely, and may the odds be ever in your- screw it, just have fun sending stuff into your tributes. See you all next chapter, Bye! ^-^**


	9. It's Been A While Since I've Been Here

**Train Rides Part Two:**

* * *

 **Isha Levine, 18;**

 **District Two Female**

Oh, Colette.

How dare Klaus do that? How dare he just take her away from me and not let me see her?! Not even once! My own daughter! Colette is MY daughter! She came out of my womb, she was birthed by me, she was... She was taken away from me! How could he just do that?! Colette's grown up so much, I can't even believe it. My baby had her fifth birthday without me; I wasn't there to celebrate with her!

It's been years since I died. Colette was two last time I saw her, and now she's seven. My baby girl is all grown up! She's taller than I expected her to be, and I just miss her! I was going to raise her to grow up and be independent, no need for anyone to help her out. She was gonna be fierce and strong. Someone who would be a leader! My baby was going to explore the open world and grow up to be someone huge! My baby was going places!

Now all because of one arrow my life has been taken away from me. My entire life was stolen because of one damn arrow! How dare she? How dare Calliope take my life from me? Why me?! I never expected her to leave the alliance, but once I saw her moving away from us I knew something was going down. I just didn't expect it to be me to die.

Calliope wasn't even the worst part of my life. The day when I got drunk and slept with Klaus started the worst chain-reaction in my life. Yes, I got pregnant, but I was ecstatic. I was going to have a child! The only thing about that, though, was that I only held my baby for five minutes. The pain was too great for me to deal with and I just passed out, but before I did I saw a man take Colette from my hands.

Waking up frightened me. My daughter wasn't in my hands, she was nowhere to be found, and nobody told me anything. When I finally got an answer from someone, I figured out that Klaus took her. He gained custody of my daughter because he was over eighteen. It's been years now, and I still can't believe it.

This is why I have to win the Hunger Games, so that I can get Colette back. If I die again, it's all over for me. She'll never know who her real mother was, and I'll never get to hear her beautiful voice. My baby girl. Why?

I hold the uneasy tears back because I don't want to cry. If I grow weak, I'll never be able to get Colette back. After a while, I brush my straight brown hair away from my eyes and look up. Sitting in front of me is Asyrin, and after his reapings, I can already tell that this guy is psycho.

''Hey, Isha,'' Asyrin's voice rings in my ear. I look up only to see him holding up a sharp knife. ''Watch when the Avox comes back in here. I'm gonna kill him! Unless you want to join in and take this kill?''

I don't even bother to think it over. ''No.''

''I can help you, you know?'' Not bothering to answer, I look right back down into my laps. ''Huh, you're boring, you know that? No fun at all.'' I could care less what Asyrin thinks about me and I don't need his help to kill an Avox. Either way, I don't want to.

As soon as he finishes his sentence, the same Avox who brought us drinks walks back into the room. He nods at me, I don't do anything. He turns over and looks at Asyrin who's right in his face. I didn't even notice Asyrin move, and I don't understand what drives him to do or say the things that he does. When we first got on the train, he was saying the weirdest things. I really just don't get Asyrin, but I don't care either way.

Before I know it, Asyrin has the Avox held up and pressed against the wall. The Avox squeals and looks back at me; I just face my head down and look away. From what I can hear, Asyrin is taunting the Avox and scratching a knife into him. From the corner of my eye I see the drops of blood that soon grow heavy on the floor. I seriously just don't understand why he does this, and why so early? We haven't even started the games yet, and he's already out for blood.

''Aren't you gonna help him?'' Asyrin looks back at me. I completely ignore him because I'm uninterested in what he's doing. Yes, it's cruel what he's doing, but I just don't care about him. The only thing that will be on my mind and stay on my mind throughout these games is winning and getting back my daughter. ''Fine, looks like I'll just kill him then.''

I hear a sharp ripping and I just let out a deep sigh. A large thud hits the floor and then I see Asyrin squat down to pick something up. He lifts up the dead Avox and throws him right at me. I knew it, I knew it. Asyrin is nothing but a creeper and a psycho!

Moving out of the way, I pick up one of the forks from the table and throw them right at the boy. After throwing the knife, Asyrin catches it and smiles at me in a sinister way. ''Look at that corpse,'' he points over towards the dead Avox with multiple cuts on his body. ''You see that? Once we hit the arena, that's going to be you.''

He moves closer to me, and without a word he just chucks the fork right back at me. It aims straight for my eyes and with a sway motion, I drop down to the floor and catch the fork in between my pinkie and ring finger. Asyrin lets out a light chuckle and before he knows it my leg sweeps in between his and I drop him to the floor. He bumps his head and then looks up at me with a disgusted face. I grab his shirt, place it on the glass table, and stab the fork straight into it so that he won't be able to move.

''Ah,'' he lets out a sigh. ''Creative of you, I like it.''

Completely ignoring his words, I turn away from him. He's nothing but a filthy creep who would kill anything that comes his way, even his own damn mentors if he had the chance. That's not anyone that I would want to ally with or need help from; I don't need help from anyone, actually.

I reach into my pocket when I feel something rub against my thigh. When I touch it, I instantly realize it as my lucky coin. This was my token for the games five years ago. I never expected for them to let me keep it, but I'm glad that they did. This coin was gonna be passed down to Colette when she got older and it would be her lucky item.

I had so much planned for her, and it was all ruined just like that. A little bit of feeling gets to me, but I quickly push it away. This was hard to do, but I just couldn't let my feelings overtake me. ''Hey,'' I hear that same voice. ''You gonna let me go now or do I have to force my way out?''

''You know what?'' Asyrin asks. ''You're annoying. You're lame, you're boring, and you have no type of personality whatsoever!''

''Oh, and you're not any of those?'' I ask sarcastically. _Give him a piece of your mind, do it, do it, do it!_ ''Asyrin, you're nothing more than a typical psycho tribute from Two. You have no skill at all. Everything that you do is either creepy or something that has to relate to blood. Do you honestly think that you're all that? One simple fork brought you down and you have the audacity to criticize me? You have nothing more than killing tributes going on in life for you, and you should honestly die at the bloodbath!''

That's just the type of person I am. I say what's on my mind at all times. There's no such thing as holding back for me. ''Wow, you're cruel,'' Asyrin looks at me with angered eyes. I don't care what people think about me as long as it stops them from messing with me. I don't take the crap that others try to hand me, and believe me or not when I tell that there's been a lot of it.

People usually stay away from me because of this. They find me mean, but I'm not. I'd rather be happy having people leave me alone and being on my own rather than having people continuously bother me and try to help me out. I just don't want it. Think of me as you will, but I do not care. As long as I'm benefited from it, I'm totally fine with it.

Asyrin is still struggling to get out of his position, and I don't understand why. What makes him so idiotic that he doesn't know to remove the fork from his shirt and simply move away? I just don't understand, but honestly, it doesn't matter to me.

Seconds after he starts chewing on his shirt our mentors walk out from the room that they were in. Griffon has Sianna in a tight embrace with his arms wrapped around her waist. He starts sniffing the air and turns his head to the left. Seeing what he saw, he quickly lets go of Sianna's waist and runs over to the body as she begins to scream.

''OH MY GOD!'' she lets out. She quickly turns her head and sobs into the palm of her hands. Griffon turns around and looks at me. I don't say a word and then narrow my eyes towards Asyrin who lets out a large smile. Griffon stares straight at Asyrin with fierce eyes. I swear, Griffon looks like he's about to kill Asyrin right now.

He picks up the body of the Avox and walks out of the room. One thing that I noticed before he left was the multiple cuts. The Avox's neck was cut open deep and his trachea was sticking out. His temples were both split open and the top of his forehead had a cut in the shape of an X. Bone was seen, and I just couldn't believe what I saw. I knew that he killed the Avox, and I didn't care what he was doing, but what he did was beyond necessary.

Griffon walks back into the room that we were all in and the expression on his face shows that he's angry. He walks past Sianna and raises his hand to forcefully hit Asyrin, but his arm is quickly grabbed by Sianna's small hands. They look at each other and then back at us without saying a word.

''I wouldn't have hit you because you killed the Avox,'' Griffon sighs. ''It's just that you hurt Sianna, who's really against the games and isn't like the rest of us Victors from Two. She's one in a million from our District, and hurting her means that you're hurting me. Do it again and I'll slap the shit out of you.''

Asyrin rolls his eyes and then sighs. I look straight at our mentors with my arms crossed and begin to drift off into my own world. The only thing that I see now is Griffon's lips moving and I just turn around. I start to move away from the group and walk closer to a random door that is encrusted with enriched jewels and diamonds. I wonder what this door leads to. The words that came out of Griffon's mouth just bored me, and I just couldn't stand there and listen to them.

I reach in to grab the door knob until someone yells out my name. ''ISHA!'' I turn around and see Griffon staring right at me. ''Come on, did you hear a word I said?'' I sigh and then shake my head. Why listen if it's nothing interesting?

''Since you obviously didn't, I said that I think it's better if you and Asyrin actually teamed up and worked togethe-''

''NO!'' I shout. Everyone gazes towards me and I just shake my head vigorously. ''I don't need to train with anyone. I don't need anybody's help here! I can do it on my own, and I especially don't need to be training with Asyrin. What? Did you think that we could benefit each other? He's a crazy bloodthirsty psycho and I'm a girl who lost her child, and you want me to team with him?''

Like I said earlier, I say what's on my mind and whatever people think of it is okay. I don't care what they think about it. They don't know me, and they won't understand me because they're not in the situation that I'm in.

''Y-You lost your child?'' Griffon asks. ''I'm sorry, I-I... I didn't know. I'm sorr-''

''No,'' I shout once again. ''I don't want your pity. This has nothing to do with you, but everything to do with me. I just want to win these games so that I can go back to my daughter, and that's all I care about right now. Don't get it misunderstood.''

This shuts everyone up and I just stare out to the gleaming windows. I don't need anyone's pity or help. I can do it just fine on my own. I'm independent and anyone who thinks that they can join in any moment now and help me is mistaken. It doesn't work like that for me. I can do it on my own, and I know that I can.

''Damn,'' Asyrin says out of nowhere. ''I never realized how much her hazel-gray eyes frightened me, ha ha. You know, if we weren't in a death games, I'd think that she was kinda hot. Actually, she's pretty hot, but I'm not here for a relationship; I'm here to kill. And, I'm not a big fan of taller girls.''

I let out a sigh and turn away. Asyrin is way different than my last District partner who was somewhat likeable. He wasn't much, but he still was likeable. The only thing that bothers me is besides knowing that I lost Colette was that one arrow took away my life. One damn arrow!

Holding a grudge against District One wouldn't be the smart thing to do, because that hidden emotion that I feel will mess me up. I just have to relax and play the games differently this time. I wouldn't want it to be too obvious, but I'll manage somehow. I know that I can, and I will.

''So,'' Griffon drags out. ''How about we watch some film?''

''I vote for that,'' Sianna jumps in as she wipes away her tears. Asyrin smiles and I nod my head. He notices that we're quiet and asks us a question. ''Are you both at least going to join the careers?''

''Yes,'' I let out. I intend on joining the careers, but I also intend on winning. I intend on coming back to Colette and being a great mother, unlike mine. That gold digging whore! She never cared about me. She was only in it for the money and she would put that ahead of me any day of the week!

I'll be a great mother to Colette. I promise that I will be. Better than mine was to me! The only thing, though, is that I have to win.

* * *

 **Orion Aquarius, 17;**

 **District Seven Male**

Woo! I'm stoked to be back in these games. I can't believe how many years it's been! One hundred and seven years later, and I'm still doing good. Heh, it's quite interesting how they brought me back to life, but I bet there are some side-effects. They probably gave me hepatitis or something.

I sit down right next to Eudora as I fill my plate with a lentil wrap and tahini sauce. She sets her foot on the table and leans back on the couch as she sits still and relaxes. She seems to be calm in this situation and less tense about it. Doesn't she know that we could both die, and it's likely that we will? I sigh to myself and continue to put the sauce on my dish.

I barely found anything that I liked here; there was nothing but meat and desserts scattered all around the table. I had to ask an Avox just to bring me a veggie dish, and she brought me this with a note. I had no idea what it was at first, thinking that it was a burrito filled with meat and cheese, but it's not.

The note said that she would bring me back brownies or something, too. I forgot so I'm just assuming. They're probably filled with weed and she's trying to get me high. You know how these Avox's work; they're pissed off so they take their anger out on you. Last time I asked for a veggie meal, I bit into the dish and spit came out.

The Avox comes back and she has a bright smile on her face. I don't bother to look at her, but just smile as she walks away. Her bright red hair slaps my face and then it goes away. I ignore everything completely and just bite into the meal that she brought me.

''Ho!'' I shout out. I quickly get up and start sweating. I start flapping my hands towards my face to cool me down, but it doesn't work. I turn around and look at Eudora. She gasps and comments on my bright red face. ''Ho, oh my God!''

She quickly picks up the glass of water that I was desperately looking for and pours it down my open mouth. The inside of my mouth still burns, but it helped cool me down. She still holds it up and I take it away from her hands and finish the rest of the cup.

''Thanks,'' I smile.

''You're welcome,'' she nods.

You'd think that I'd stop eating after that, but after over a decade of being dead, I'm hungry as hell. I push away the lentil wrap and bite into the oatmeal filled brownies and I'm actually satisfied this time around. I look back at Eudora who hasn't eaten or said a word until now.

''So,'' I say trying to make the silence go away. ''How did you die?''

Eudora looks at me and I stare straight into her blue-gray eyes. She giggles and then begins to speak. ''I just...kinda froze, you know? I thought that I would okay, but I just froze on my pedestal. I wasn't able to move and before I knew it an arrow was shot straight into my head.''

''Brutal,'' I snicker.

''And how did you die?'' she asks as she stares at me.

''An unsuspected spear was thrown into my abdomen,'' I sigh. I still can't believe it to this day. I was so far away and out of nowhere a damn spear goes through me. That's quite upsetting. I had a chance to win it all, and I thought that I escaped, but at the last second it hit me.

I rub the back of my hair as I sit back like Eudora does. ''Not exactly the best way to die.'' It really wasn't. I'm so ashamed right now, and that could happen again. Nothing good comes from the games, and if anything ever does, it's just the fact that you won't have to suffer the pain of going through a terrible life in Panem anymore.

''At least you didn't freeze,'' she jokes. This girl really is something else. She's nice, isn't she? Manipulating her will help me out, and it'll get my everything that I want and need from these games. I could really use her to my advantage.

''It's okay,'' I smile. ''You've got another chance at life, and I know that you can do it this time.''

She smiles sweetly at me and thanks me. Ha! She actually thinks that I care about her. Well, I don't. Getting her to like me and think of me as a good guy is exactly the way that I want things to go down. I barely know her, but that caring personality of hers will screw her over.

That exact moment when she got up out of her seat just to help me out shows me that she's the type of person who cares about the well-being of others. Oh, man, it's gonna be fun toying with her. I can change her way of playing these games exactly how the Capitol changed my way of life.

Living in District Four was amazing. I was a career, well, could've been one. My brother, Victor, won the fifty-seventh games, and he helped me out whenever it came to training. I had a good life style and never had to work, but just one screw up caused us to be exported to damn District Seven.

I don't think that smuggling is classified as a bad thing, but apparently it is in District Four. We got caught, but because my brother was loved, we weren't killed on the spot. Being moved to District Seven was one of the worst things that happened to me. I had to work day and night, and ever since then I despised work. I hated anything that had to do with work, and the lifestyle was just terrible.

We lived in a huge, fancy house in Four, but as soon as we moved to Seven we were given this rusty, broken down house that just annoyed me. After all the things that I heard about Seven, I never expected them to give us the bad part of it. None of the trees around us were as pretty as people described them to be, and the neighbors we had were so annoying!

I played the good child role and they loved me, but on the inside I hated them with every ounce of hatred that was in my body. Their children were both annoying and always tried to persuade me into helping out in chopping down the trees in front of our homes. Mom always said to play nice, but tripping them as they ran with axes was so fun.

Watching as they turned back and looked at me with shocked expressions on their hideous faces, and all I did was play the innocent child and apologized. They were so oblivious to my two-faced nature, and I loved that! They had no idea what I was capable of, and watching as the axes came so close to hitting them in the face made me anticipate for it to happen each and every day of my life!

Now, that's all taken away from me. I'm dead, they're dead, my families dead; there's nobody left that I care about who's alive. Not to say that I cared about those annoying children, because I didn't, but I did care about my family and I miss them.

I look once more at Eudora who's still relaxing with her eyes closed. She lets out a sigh and I chuckle to myself. I get up, pick up the lentil wrap and throw it right into Eudora's face. She opens up her eyes and then begins to yell as the sauce makes its way into them.

I quickly run over as she screams in pain and apologize. ''I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do it, believe me, please! I-I-It just slipped out of my hand. I was going to go throw it away, but then I just slipped on something and it flew out my hands. Eudora, believe me when I tell you that I'm so sorry!''

She doesn't say anything and just continues to scream. Because of her screaming, she can't hear me laughing. Oh man, if she accepts my apology I can get closer to her and learn things about her that others might not know. Once I have everything that I need to know, Eudora's gonna be helping me out in all sorts of things.

She won't realize it, but she'll be helping one way or another. I pick up two glasses full of water on the glass table and forcefully open Eudora's eyes. I throw the water out of the first cup into her face and then I pour the rest on her head. ''Eudora, did it work?''

''Yeah,'' she squeals. ''My eyes have cooled down a bit.'' I smile sweetly at her and she gives me a disappointed look. I apologize again, then turn around to face the door that our mentors walk out of. They ask what's going on and Eudora and I look at each other.

''I fell, right?'' I try to fill them in on the story. ''And when I fell, the dish that the Avox served me flew out of my hand and the sauce got into Eudora's eyes!''

They look at each other and back at me. I smile sweetly at the both of them, but they don't seem to be buying it. ''I'm truly sorry for what I did, and I wish it hadn't happened. I could have messed up my partner's eyesight and that could cause her death in the games! I don't want that to happen!''

As I pretend to moan and cry, Eudora rubs her hand against my back and tells me that it's find. She's a kind girl, but that's gonna be her downfall for when I'm through with her. I reach up for a hug, and before I can wrap my arms around her she pushes me away.

''Don't,'' she says a strict tone. Oh, looks like someone's assertive. That's something else that I know about her now. This is amazing! I've learned quite a bit about her already and all of it will help out with what I plan on doing.

She does all the work for me—I have fun taking advantage of her. This is how it will work: I'm just gonna relax and lean back as she tells me everything about her, and when the time strikes, she'll be one of the people that die in the arena because of me.

''I know that we barely know each other,'' I start wrapping her around my finger. ''But you're one of the best people that I've ever gotten the chance to meet, and I consider you as a friend.''

She smiles kindly at me and I smile right back. ''In fact, you're the friend—the only friend—who's ever actually forgiven me for making a mistake, and I appreciate that.''

That's a total lie. Eudora wasn't the only friend to ever forgive me; Ken forgave me all the time. Every time that I pretended that I couldn't hold up an axe and whenever I finally got the hang of it, I pretended that I couldn't control where I swung and aimed for his head. Ha, good times.

I pull against my arena attire: a dark red toga that's quite revealing with a black head mask, long, tight black pants with a leather blood red belt and black goth boots with white jewels encrusted on them. Barely visibly, though, they shine quite nicely in the light.

''So,'' Chantell interrupts. ''Are you guys done?''

I look her straight in the eyes and give her a dirty look. She gives me the same look and then I smile kindly at her. She knows what I'm planning, I can just tell. She's a Victor, after all, and maybe I remind her of herself when she was first in the games. I don't know how she won, but the way she looks at me gives me the feeling that she started out the same way I did: getting to know your partner, using them as an advantage, and then ending up winning the games.

That's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm actually surprised that Eudora didn't hate me after the reapings. I did announce in front of everyone that I would return the Victor and didn't even bother to know what her name was. Maybe she forgot, maybe she just doesn't want to think about it. Either way, these games are going to be played the way I want to play them.

 _What if Eudora catches onto your little trick? What if Chantell says something?_ My mind wanders off. It's true though, the worst is always to come. Nothing good comes out of trying, and nothing good comes out of getting what you want. Sure, you'd think that everything ends up fine, but soon after that something screws up.

''Anyway, we'd like to get to know the both of you,'' Chantell says. I look at her in shock and then smile at her deviously. ''You know, your personalities, hobbies, just things to help us further understand how you can work with each other and how we can train the both of you, but that will come later on.''

Eudora and I look at each other. I give her a smile and a nod that makes her smile. I have no clue what she's thinking, but I intend on finding out what it is. Maybe she does know my plan and intends on having it backfire on me. Maybe she'll try and kill me in the arena, but it won't happen. I won't let it, and trust me when I tell you that I'll be the one to kill her if we end up fighting.

''We just have a couple of questions to ask you guys,'' Chantell sighs. ''If you don't feel like answering them, just let us know and we can move on to a different question.''

I rub the back of my head and look away. ''Do you guys intend on having allies?'' Chantell asks. Hell no! No thank you, I just want to learn everything about these tributes and then use that to my advantage. Having allies won't do anything for me besides hold me down.

''No,'' says Eudora as she looks at me. I look back at her and put on a sad expression on my face. Pretending might make her feel bad, and maybe she'll change her mind, but I doubt it. ''Sorry, I just don't think having allies will help out. Maybe you can find others if you were planning on it.''

Oh, my darling, I was never planning on having allies. They're just a burden and they take away too much space. Worrying about someone else when I could be thinking about myself doesn't seem like something I'd think of doing. Especially not when I'm in a games that gave me a second chance at life that I don't plan on letting slip away from the grasp of my hand.

''Well that's disappointing,'' says Chantell. ''I thought that the two of you could work well together.'' She looks over at Eudora who shrugs and shakes her head. She's not risking it, and I like that about her. Allies could kill you at any point in time, and we don't even know who the other tributes are for these games.

I don't know a thing about them, but I feel as though the careers won't be much this year. I mean, they died first last time, so why would they be better than anyone else here? We all died first last time, which is a terrible thing, but I know that most of the tributes won't go down as easily as they did before.

From what I'm thinking, the careers are either the weak ones who got the unfortunate years where there weren't any volunteers, or they're just psychopaths who jumped off of their pedestals too early because they couldn't wait to get their hands on the weaker tributes who they would easily kill.

''We can still train together,'' I quickly stand up. I turn my head to Eudora and then back towards Chantell and Relmo. ''We don't have to be allies, but knowing each other could really help out. I mean, if we somehow run into each other in the arena and two other tributes, who just happen to be allies, are in the same area as we are try to attack us we could fight together!''

''So you're saying that you want to train with Eudora, but not ally?'' Relmo tries to confirm. I look straight into his eyes and put on the most serious face that I can.

''Yes!''

''I don't think it's a good idea,'' Eudora tries to backtrack as she stands up. ''We'll know everything about each other, and if we have to fight, one of us will get the upper advantage of knowing everything about the other. I don't plan on watching and learning everything about Orion, but he could be planning on doing so to me!''

I look at her and make my eyes moist. ''Do you honestly take me for that type of person?'' I ask her. A tear drips down my eye and I do my best to contain my laughter. ''I-I would never do that to you, Eudora! I think of you as a friend, and friends don't go behind each others backs just to get the upper hand.''

I sniff and make it sound as if I'm about to cough and choke on my own words. She looks at me with pity and then sighs. ''Fine,'' she sighs. ''But don't expect us to be the best of friends in the arena. I've been given another chance at life, and I don't intend on wasting it.''

''Oh thank you!'' I shout as I run up to hug her.

''No!'' she says in an assertive voice.

''Oh, right. Sorry,'' I chuckle. She smiles at me and I smile back. Oh, man. She has no idea what's coming her way. Nobody here does. Trust me, no one is going to see me coming, and by the time that they figure out what I'm doing, it'll be too late. I'm not an antagonist, trust me, but I do plan on the best for myself.

And that's exactly what I'm gonna get.

* * *

 **Brysia Sanders, 15;**

 **District Eleven Female**

Aw man. My mentor is a complete idiot. I don't know why I got stuck with him, but I totally regret their decision. Why do I have to get Conly? He doesn't do anything for us- Well, me! Cythrie and Quartz are both in another room and talking about something while Conly is over here drinking and speaking like an idiot.

''Come on, bruh, what do you wanna do?'' he asks. ''Watch film? Fight? I'm down with anything.''

I roll my eyes and just sit there with my head down. Cythire would've been a way better mentor who would actually teach me how to survive. Do I really need to ask him to give me the advice that I'll need to survive? I died last time because of a mistake that I made, and I can't get over it. It always messes with me, and a mentor is supposed to help you get over those difficulties of yours, right?

''Brysia,'' Conly says. God, I hope this isn't just another meaningless conversation that he's gonna try to start. That would suck if it was, and I really can't deal with it anymore. ''Tell me how you died last time.''

For once he's actually bringing up a good topic. ''I ran into the cornucopia and grabbed a bag, but as soon as I was running away I got distracted. A spear went straight through my stomach and the pain was just so unimaginable. I couldn't take it, and eventually my eyes faded into eternal darkness.''

''That's deep, Bry,'' he sighs after he throws the bottle of vodka on the floor. ''I'ma call you Bry from now on, alright?'' I sigh and don't bother to say anything. He smiles at me and then jumps onto the glass table. I look straight up at him and shut my mouth to listen to whatever he has to say.

He stands there quietly for a minute and then finally begins to speak. ''Listen, I know that you're obviously not the strongest tribute out there and you'll probably die again, but I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen.''

''Thanks for letting me know that you think that I can win,'' I say sarcastically. ''God, will you ever say anything that will help me out?''

''Listen you little hoe,'' he begins. Wow, I'm offended by his words already. ''I'm gonna say and teach you a lot of things that your old mentor didn't teach you. You may think that I'm nothing but a useless mentor who won his games by luck, but you have no idea what the games hold.''

''Oh really? And how wouldn't I know if I was in them once?''

''You didn't make it past the bloodbath you little bitch!'' he shouts out. ''Do you think that someone like you can honestly survive on your own? You have no idea who I am you little shit. Sit down and listen!''

''I am sitting, and I think you're drunk,'' I reply. ''You swear that someone like you can teach me anything. From what I've seen, you won your games by luck and nothing but luck.''

''You little-''

''Conly!'' our escort, Hailu, shouts. ''Calm yourself and be gentle to the poor tribute. She has no idea what's going on and she's tired! Let her-''

He shuts her up with a quick kiss as he jumps off of table and lets go of her chin as he faces me. Our escort blushes through her pure white makeup and quickly gets up and leaves the room. Before she gets away she mumbles something under her breath about lovely Victors.

''Listen,'' he sighs. ''I want you to watch these tapes as we make our way to the Capitol. You could learn a thing or two from all of these past Victors, and then tell me what you think after that.''

I put on a fake smile and sigh as he plays the tapes on the television. The first games that he plays are some female from Two's games. She's really pretty, but she doesn't seem as excited as the other careers to go into these games. The gong goes off and she jumps off of her pedestal and runs straight into the cornucopia.

She picks up a scythe and just destroys two tributes who end up near her. The scythe beams in the sunlight as it's being swung at the chest of two tributes who try to take her on at the same time. She ducks as one of the tributes jumps with a knife and tries to land on top of her, but that leads her to getting a scythe in her back.

The girls blood is rushed out of her body and she struggles to move away. As she finally picks herself up and tries to run, the scythe goes swinging across the girls stomach and splits her in two. I shut my eyes as I see this and when I open them back up the scythe is now inside of the boys mouth and it's sticking out of the back of his neck.

She reaches the final two with the boy from three and as he shoots arrows at her she just blocks them away with the blade of the scythe. My eyes widen in shock as she finally gets near him and knees his gut. The boy vomit on the ground near her shoes, and she holds him by the neck.

She holds the scythe by the blade instead of the handle and rubs it across the boys face. He yells for her to stop and he begs for his life, but in the end she just shoves the scythe in the area where his eyes and nose are. It enters deep into the boys face and a disgusting gash is shown. This is horrifying; do these people not know what censoring is?!

She stands up and stumbles back as she falls and begins to cry. Conly stops the film and takes her tape out of the television. ''Sianna Cartwright, District Two,'' he says.

He puts in another tape and this one is a female from Four. She runs right into the cornucopia and aims for throwing axes and a tomahawk. She reaches for a tomahawk and as soon as she gets one, she chucks it at a fleeing tribute from Twelve. It lands in the back of his head and the boy falls as soon as it hits.

She rushes over towards him and takes his bag away from his hands. As she pulls her tomahawk out, she grins her teeth as she watches the mayhem around her. Seven more deaths occur and before you know it, she gets two more and contributed to three out of the eight bloodbath deaths.

The rest of the games are shy for her, but she plays it smart. She always takes first watch whenever her alliance goes to sleep, and once the career bloodbath came she killed the girl from One. Sad to see such a beautiful girl go, but at least it wasn't me getting killed by her. She threw the axe at the girls neck and it cut deep into the girls neck to where you could see her vocal cords sticking out.

The girls her twitched back, but she wasn't dead. I was shocked and it was just gruesome. She stomped on the axe that was lodged into the girls neck and pushed it deeper and deeper inside until the girls head finally gave in and fell off. The ending was simple for her, because the girl who made the final two with her was badly injured. Just a simple head smashed into the blade of her tomahawk and her cannon boomed.

''Amille Rivell, District Four,'' Conly sighs. ''She's pretty cute. You think I can get with that?''

I look up at him and groan. What is wrong with this guy? Is he really that immature? I mean, come on, you're supposed to be speaking to me about how I can win, but instead of doing that you're asking me if you think you have a chance of hooking up with another Victor.

I don't fucking know! How do you expect me to answer that question, anyway? Where are Cythire and Quartz when you need them? ''Can we just watch the rest of the tapes?'' I ask impatiently. He rolls his eyes at me and stands in front of the T.V. with his hands on his hips. He begins to move every time I move and then I eventually give up.

''Yes,'' I sigh. ''I think you have a great chance at getting with her. Maybe you two can even grow up and raise a family together, I don't know. Can we watch the tapes now?''

''You really think so?'' he asks excitedly.

''Yes,'' I sigh.

''You didn't have to answer,'' he chuckles. ''I was just joking with you and seeing if you would give up in any circumstance, and you did. That's disappointing, Bry, and if you just give in like that, you're gonna die. By the way, she's a close friend, and we get along fairly well, but I don't need a fourteen year old telling me who she thinks I have a chance with. I know I can get that.''

''I'm fifteen,'' I correct him.

''Same thing,'' he says as he plays the tapes to shut me up. The next games to play are Zane Fillio's. I don't understand why I'm watching this one when Conly told me about other Victors who have had incredible victories like Alexias, Relmo, Jamie, Cythrie, and Reese. Right when I'm about to ask him the question on my mind, he answers it on his own.

''You may be wondering why I'm showing you Zane's games, and the answer to that is simple: he's a survivalist. He went through so much in his games, and you'd think that he was a District Six tribute if you didn't know what District he came from.''

''Sure, he's not loved by the Capitol because of his way of playing the games, but he was smart. He hid like a pro and when it came down to killing the final tribute, his ways of success were smart and resourceful in the end.''

I can't disagree with that logic. I mean, who knows more about the games besides the Victors themselves? The last games that he shows me are his. He wasn't as immature as he was now; he was quite serious, actually. He never had a smile on his face and he always looked sad. He cried on his pedestal as the tributes surrounding him laughed.

The gong rang and he bolted off of his pedestal and straight into the cornucopia. He reached it first and then he just left. The rest of the games went by fairly quickly until he reached the final eight. Surprisingly enough, four out of six careers were still healthy and alive. The feast came quite early and if you ever thought that a four against one battle was impossible, you should've seen Conly's games.

The final five was him and all careers, and even though he's standing right here where I am, I couldn't believe that he survived the battle. The first one killed was the boy from Two. He was the leader, and as usual, that's who the leader always is.

The uncertain boy made fun of Conly and started speaking about his lifestyle and how much of a terrible situation he was in. Conly stayed still until the boy finally swung at Conly with a sword. He picked up a sickle and shoved the blade right into the stomach of the career tribute.

When his cannon boomed, every other career ran straight after Conly. He chucked his sickle at the boy from One who shut his eyes at the wrong moment and got it stuck right in his forehead. The two female tributes from Two and Four both looked at each other, back at him, and then decided to leave the boy from One to die.

Conly ran and ran until he couldn't anymore and when an arrow was shot right past his ear and into the ground, he picked it up. He looked back and fought with a single arrow as spears were being thrown at him and knives were being swung.

He caught the knife in the palm of his bloodied hand and shoved the arrow into the girl from Four's temple. The District Two girl then stabbed him with a spear right in the shoulder and laughed as she shoved it deeper and deeper. He yelled in pain and agony and as he fell to his knees, she thought she had it all won.

Conly looks up at her with tearing eyes and when the fight is actually getting good he removes the tape from the television.

''NO!'' I shout.

Cythrie and Quartz walk into the film room that we were in as they manage to put on a smile. I look up at them with my mouth gaped wide open, and they both stare at me like I'm crazy or something. ''H-Have you seen Conly's games?''

They all stare at me, and Conly rolls his eyes. Quartz is confused, and Cythrie nods his head slowly. ''I did mentor him, after all,'' he says, but in a calm tone. ''He had spirit in him, and even though the others might've had more than him, he prevailed.''

With their help, I might be able to win this time around. I just need to get over my weaknesses and the situation that I always get stuck in. I'm always distracted and that always ends up screwing me over when the time is right.

Maybe I'll be able to overcome that and maybe I won't be, but I'm gonna try either way. I look up at Quartz who stares at me with his chocolate brown eyes. He's pretty tall and I like his hairstyle. The curly afro suits him with the tight curls on the top of his head, and if we weren't in the games I might have found him to be cute, but nah!

He grins at me and gives me this weird expression. I can read it perfectly and he's most likely wondering if I'm crazy or just excited about every single thing that comes my way because of the way that I introduced myself as they all walked in.

''So,'' Cythrie says trying to get something off of his mind. ''Allies?''

''No,'' Quartz says. ''I don't think I'd want allies at a time like this.''

He looks down and then his smile quickly disappears into a frown. He sits down on the mahogany colored couch and puts his head in the palm of his hands. ''Oh, no...'' he let's out as he sighs. We all stare at him, and he doesn't even recognize. I don't know what's wrong with him or why he's acting so weird, but he needs to snap out of it if he plans on surviving.

''I do,'' I nod my head. ''I plan on having allies, but there's something that I'll need from them.'' I say that as I take out a small book from my pocket. This was my token last games, and I missed it so much. I almost forgot that I had it until I felt something press up against my thighs as I sat down.

I flip through it and I look at all the tabs that I took of the past tributes in my games. Here's the tab that I made for my killer. I read through it as everything that I put in here was correct about him and all of the other tributes during my past games.

 _Styx Stones: talented with spears, intelligent, handsome, competition for career pack leader, able to win the Hunger Games,manipulative, and handy._

 _Hanna Tran: unable to use long-distance weapons, inaccurate, pretty, competition for career pack leader, talkative, goes behind others' backs, huge threat, likeable, and a sponsor magnet._

There's way more to this book, but these two were the last two people on my page. I flip to the next blank page that I see and start writing down Quartz's name. I'm gonna need to learn everything that I can about him in order to use him to my advantage later on. I pick up a pen from the table and begin to write.

 _Quartz Fields:_

''Hey, Quartz,'' I say as I look straight at him. He looks up but he looks terrible and almost as if he's depressed. ''A-Are you okay? Do you miss your mom and da-''

''Don't talk about my mom,'' he cuts me off instantly.

Everyone looks over at me and just shake their heads. I don't understand what I said that was so bad, but I don't think I want to ask him. He might snap and kill me before I can even finish what I was gonna write down for him. He seems as if he can't control his anger since he looked at me with angry eyes, so maybe that's a weakness for him.

 _Quartz Fields: Depressing, will snap at any moment, handsome, vulnerable, and maybe he has an uncontrollable rage to him._

This book is my everything. If I'm able to get these tributes' weaknesses all in order, maybe I'll be able to get them all to turn on each other. Either way, I gotta try. If I don't, it'll be the end of me again, and I don't want that.

I have to win this time, and it all starts with blackmailing these tributes. As soon as that thought crosses through my mind the train stops in a sudden motion. I get up and look out of the window, and what I see is astonishing. The Capitolites are all cheering and waving at me as the train doors open and it's amazing at how much the Capitol has changed from when I was alive.

The water, the buildings, the markets! Everything is beautiful. I can't believe I'm actually here again. All of this is truly amazing. This time will be different, though, I swear it. This time, I plan on having a different outcome, and coming out of the games as Victor.

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy, so that's train rides part two. We're done with those, and now we're going to the Capitol! :D Are you guys excited? I am. Glad to know that now we can officially get on our journey to the arena, and believe me when I tell you it's gonna be amazing! Well, I came up with it, so of course I'm going to say that it's amazing, because I'm biased af. :)**

 **So, did you guys like the chapter? I hope so, because there's more to come. Oh, and guys, sorry if it seems like I'm giving the females way more attention than the males, but the thing is that I have so much planned for some of these guys and I don't want to give them early POVs because I feel as though by the time I enter the games I'm not gonna have everyone with at least one POV.**

 **Yes, the girls really have been getting tons of attention, and I think they've gotten two out of three POVs in every chapter except for one or two. I'm just gonna tell you in advance that next chapter will probably also have two female POVs and one male POV, but after that you'll get to see more of the male tributes.**

 **So, I know that everyone's anticipated for these games to start, maybe... I don't really know if you all are, but I hope so because I can't wait to get them started. So many ideas are flowing through my brain and my juices are all being put to work. Hopefully that didn't sound weird, or anything, but I'm a weird fifteen-year-old boy, so don't mind me. ;)**

 **Omg, thank you for 100 reviews... In eight chapters? Omfg I never expected that to happen, like, where did that come from? I swear it took me like 20 chapters to get that many in my last story, and I'm just so thankful! Omg you guys are great and that really motivates me to get these chapters up quicker! Thank you all so much!**

 **Sorry in advance for those of you who really want to see more male POVs. Yeah, sorry if I'm repetitive, that's just how I am for some reason. Oh, and I never noticed until Brooke told me, but I do start my sentences and paragraphs with ''I'' a lot! Sorry if that gets annoying, I don't mean for that to happen. I guess it's a force of habit and I can't control if, so sorry if that gets annoying. Let me know if you find anything else that you think I should work on, please. It helps out a lot, and I'm happy to hear your guys' suggestions on whatever you think I can improve on.**

 **Anyways, let's get onto the questions! :)**

* * *

 **What would you do if you saw your psycho partner kill an Avox right in front of you?**

 **Would you be planning to manipulate your ally and try to get to know everything about them?**

 **What would you do if you were watching your mentors game tapes and it got really interesting and all suspense, your were one the edge of your seat to see what was gonna happen next, then BAM! He/She turns it off?**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, once again! I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next chapter which will hopefully be put up by Saturday. Maybe Friday if I have the time, and maybe Sunday or sometime next week if I don't! :D Hopefully that doesn't happen, though. Anyways, thanks for reading, once again. I love you all, and I'll see you next chapter! Bye! :)**


	10. You Gotta Look Good For The Crowd

**Chariot Preparation:**

* * *

 **Carter Abrahms, 15;**

 **District Three Male**

The cheers of the Capitol is how it should be back at home. Look at all these worthless peasants waiting for my arrival. Hmph! Who do they think they are? And my District partner? She's just another tribute who's beneath me; I can't believe that someone like her actually comes from the same District as I do.

She should feel lucky, though. Against all odds, Pansil, Pansy, Paisly—the luckiest little girl alive—managed to somehow become partners with a fine prince such as myself. She should feel so happy and appreciative that me, Carter Abrahms, just might be able to save her from death. But I won't.

All those sponsors that she believes that she might get will only come to me! Who the hell here is gonna sponsor any other tribute? God, if they do, they obviously don't know who the best tribute in these damn games is.

As the train comes to an abrupt stop, the doors slide open quicker than they did when I was alive. I'm still surprised that I died. I mean me? Dying? Ha! That's funny...

I just can't believe that I was still reaped. I mean, growing up and being in a wealthier part of Three with a mother who easily found a cure for Cancer and was loved supremely by the Capitol and a father who cured HIV was just fantastic. Sucks that they wanted me to follow in their footsteps, though.

But to be honest, smarts are so dumb. I mean, what do you need intelligence for? All you need to know is how to hold your own and have street smarts. If you have those, you're basically set for life. Who in their right minds would want to go to school? Ugh, even the word sends a shiver down my spine. Can you imagine being surrounded by all those nerds who think that they'll be something in life because of an education? God, some people are just so stupid!

''Come on,'' I hear Jianna's voice ring in my ear, her tone soft and caring but she's nothing more than a bitch. ''It's time to get you guys ready for the Chariot rides.''

I sit down on the chair with my legs folded neatly across the glass table and pick up a couple of cookies: three sugar, three mnm, three chocolate, and three white chocolate. Ooh, add three sprinkled to the list. I snack on three at a time and finish them all pretty quickly. I watch as Pasily walks right past me and smiles sweetly.

Ha, what a loser.

''Come on, Carter,'' Jianna's annoying voice goes through one ear and out the other. I completely ignore her and continue to grub on the cookies. She approaches me and slaps them all out of my hand and looks straight at me. ''Come on!''

''Make me,'' I stare straight into her eyes, giving her the most disobedient tone that I can.

''God dammit, this little b-'' she's interrupted as she raises her hand.

''Jianna!'' I hear Shion call out. ''Calm down! It's not worth slapping the boy.''

I smile deviously at her and before I know what she's doing, she picks me up by the collar of my shirt and throws me out of the train doors and I land on the side of my right shoulder and cheek. My shoulder easily bruises and it hurts like hell! I'm not even gonna start on my face, because I figure it's too much pain to describe. I have little pebbles digging into my cheek!

Jianna comes out walking and wiping the dust off of her hands as Shion holds her shoulder. He has a disappointed look on his face and Jianna is laughing at me. She quickly picks me up off of the floor and wipes the dust off of my reaping attire and fixes me up a little.

Scratch what I said earlier; she's not a bitch, she's _my_ bitch. Fixing me up, patting the dust off of my clothes, and even turning me around in the right direction just shows you how much she adores me and how much everyone should adore me. She's always pretending as if she hates me, but she doesn't realize that I'm onto her game. Does she honestly think that anyone could hate Carter Abrahms?

''Carter!''

''CARTER, OH MY GOD!''

''I LOVE YOU CARTER!''

''Carter, autograph my picture!''

''You're so cute!''

''I just wanna kidnap him and keep him locked up in my room!''

''Oh, God, I love him so much!''

These are all the things that I hear from these pitiful Capitolites. This is how a royal prince should be treated, and this is what District Three needs to learn to do when I come back from these idiotic games after my Victory Tour.

I look up as Jianna scoffs. She just wishes that she didn't have competition to reach all of this. ''God, these Capitolites are annoying as ever. This is why I hate coming back here every year.''

''Oh, shut up,'' I say, my eyes focusing straight on Jianna's. ''You're just mad that you have competition that want me as bad as you do. Sorry to break it to you, honey, but I don't go for cougars.''

''Cougars?!'' she scoffs, the look on her face is absolutely priceless. ''First of all, I'm not a mother. Second of all, I'm barely over thirty!''

''Still counts,'' I murmur as she slowly walks over towards me. I sigh as I cross my arms together and start walking the same way as Paisly. She's following a group of other tributes who have already left their trains. I look at the District numbers as I make my way past each of them.

District Two.

District Six.

District Four.

District Eight.

I don't know who the other tributes are yet, but I plan on finding out. Whoever they are, they won't have a chance at becoming a Victor because I'm here. God, when all of these tributes get a load of this, they're gonna be-

My thoughts interrupted as I bump into Paisly. I look straight at her and put on a smug face. Why did she stop all of a sudden? Like, who in the world is this girl? Does she think that she can stop and make me bump into her at any second that she wants? She's nothing more than a mere imbecile who's gonna die at the bloodbath trying to look for her savior: me.

''Excuse you?'' I look straight at her, giving her the nastiest stare. ''Did you just stop? In front of me? You don't do that, okay? Don't ever do that again.''

''Sorry,'' she says politely, but it's as if what she says isn't true. ''But if you've got a problem, take it out on the other tributes, okay?'' She looks at me with cold eyes, almost as if she's vengeful of something. I shudder a little bit, not thinking of her to be this type of tribute. Too bad she's a bloodbath, and I'm not! Wait... No, that's good for me!

''Attention, tributes,'' I hear a firm voice call out. I look up to see an administrator talking to the line of tributes. I turn around to see that I'm the last tribute in the line. How dare they keep such a royal prince like me in the back? Do they not have any class? Obviously they should know that the more wealthy you are, the higher up you stand against the rest. ''As you know, after the reapings is the usual Chariot Rides. Now, you've all been through this once and you know how it goes, so there's no need to repeat the instructions. Unless you forgot, you are cleaned up and made... Approachable by the stylists and they give you designer outfits. Please be respectful, and please follow me to the room that we they prepare you all in.''

The entire line moves into this large building that I remembered to be different. It's much nicer now and has quite a few decorations that I enjoy. Thinking about how time's changed really puts a toll on me. I still can't believe that I tripped off of my platform. That's one of the most embarrassing ways, that I could possibly think of, to die.

As the line continues to move, I push myself past Paisly. She's not important to me, and neither are the rest of these tributes. I push myself past some of the other tributes and make my way up to the front. The boy in front of me coughs loudly and catches the attention of all the other tributes and the administrator.

''Yes?'' she asks, the look on her face shows you that she doesn't have time to be screwing around with unworthy tributes like everyone here besides me, of course.

''Oh, me?'' the boy in front of me asks, the look on his face shows the he's surprised but I can't help but feel that he's planning something.

''Yes, you, Mr. Aquarius,'' the administrator smiles at him.

''May I use the bathroom, please?'' he asks kindly. Ugh, this guy is so full of himself! Who the hell asks to use the bathroom like that? You know what, I think I'll just follow him and see what he does.

''Yes, Mr. Aquarius,'' she nods her head. ''The bathroom is down the hall to your right. We'll wait for you and then continue moving.''

''Thank you,'' he nods his head as he runs down the hall. I quickly raise my hand up and look at the administrator straight in her eyes.

''Yes, Mr. Abrahms?'' she asks.

''How do you know my last name?'' She looks at me in disappointment, but I know that she loves me, and rolls her eyes. ''I know your name because I watched the reapings and memorized them. In fact, I know all of your names from Parvati to Cia.''

''Uh huh,'' I ponder, an expression just to reel her in to my liking. ''Can I use the bathroom, too?''

''Mr. Aquarius is already using the bathroom,'' she says. ''One at a time, please.''

What the hell? What type of dumbass rule is that? That's ridiculous! T-That's absurd! What if I can't hold it in and I'm gonna shit myself at any moment now? Huh, then what? You're just gonna get your prissy Capitolite servants to clean me up? Ha! Okay...

''What does his piss have to do with me?'' I ask, my gaze straight at her chest. I just couldn't help myself from staring. Too bad they're not good enough for my liking, though.

''Excuse me, Mr. Abrahms?'' she looks shocked. We stare at each other for quite a while and when Mr. Aquarius over here returns, she then motions for me to go to the bathroom. You know what? I don't even have to go anymore. This kid thinks he's all that, but I'm gonna mess with him.

I wait until he gets to the back of the line, and then I make my way back there as the line moves. I breath on his neck and poke it as he continues to flinch. I look in front to see if he's showing any sign of weakness or emotion, but he doesn't do anything about it.

He's hiding something, I just know it. As soon as we arrive to our destination, he swings his elbow back and sweeps my legs on the floor. My head jolts back from the impact of his elbow and then I fall on the back of my head. Everyone looks back at me, and they start laughing.

''Oh my God, I'm so sorry!'' he shouts.

He picks me up and then ''accidentally'' slams my head back on the floor. He finally actually helps me get up, and when I do get up he starts walking towards his prep team. I look around to see everyone else walking towards their prep teams and I'm being stared at by a group of stylists who motion me to come forward.

''Take off your clothes,'' they order me. I don't bother to respond, but just do as they say. I slowly take off my reaping attire, starting with my shirt and slowly taking my pants off. I take off everything underneath my reaping attire and stand there naked. Crap, I forgot how embarrassing this was! They start laughing at me and I decide to ignore them, close my eyes, and breath steadily as the prep team stare at my naked body and do their magic.

Oh, how wonderful.

* * *

 **Anaya Akira Celtic, 15;**

 **District Six Female**

Standing here naked in front of all these stylists is quite embarrassing. I mean, I've been through it before, but it's just not something I'd like to do again. I stare out into space as they all surround my body and circle it.

I know that it's awkward and all, but these people are just doing their jobs and I shouldn't hate them for that. They're helping me out, after all. I do the only thing that I can do at a moment like this and smile. I look at the one stylist who isn't smiling and raise my arms up to reach out and give her a hug. Sure, it's weird, but sometimes people just need a little bit of comfort no matter how nude someone else might be.

I mean, I don't usually hug people while I'm naked, but this one's an exception. She's only trying to help me look fashionable for the Capitolites to love me and send those sponsors my way during the games, so I think she deserves a bit of affection.

''Uh-uh,'' I hear as I raise my arms and put a confused expression on. I turn my head to the right to see the male stylist shaking his head. ''Don't move, darling. We need you to stay still so that we can make sure that everything is just the way we want it to be.''

I quickly throw my arms down and stay still. You know, it's kinda boring just standing here and doing nothing, but what can I do? Every curtain is pulled closed, so I can't speak to the other tributes. It's not as if I would want to, but thinking about how everyone else feels at a time like this really makes me kind of hurt on the inside.

I just hope that they're all okay. I just hope that none of them are sad, because that would break my heart. I just care too much about others to let them go. I-I can't let them all stay feeling annoyed, feeling unloved, feeling useless, and feeling like a toy that the Capitol can just merely bring back to life even if I don't know them all too well.

Don't get me wrong, I feel the exact same way that they do. I thought that when they revived me I was going to join my family again, but when they told me that I was brought back just to take part in the games again, it made me feel terrible.

Knowing that I was just a toy for the Capitol to just play and mess with my feelings made me feel like death was better. Maybe then I would actually be at peace, but the other tributes here deserve to be at peace as much as I do, and I'm not hoping for their deaths, because it's wrong, but we shouldn't have been brought back.

It's just so wrong of them to do this to us. Why couldn't we just, you know, stay put? Out of all the people who were chosen, why us? And even if it wasn't us, I would feel bad for anyone who was brought back to life just to feel the pain of being killed again.

I certainly won't forget the way that I was killed; having my neck snapped by the boy from Seven. I still can't believe it to this day that I died. I can't even believe that I was brought back to life, but it's true and I'm alive right now.

I look down as the Capitolites all work on my body. They comment on my excess hair, like on my arms and legs and tell me that they play on removing it all. They start with my arms by grabbing the left one first and and ripping some hairs off with tweezers. The way they pull with the tweezers hurts, but it's only for the best.

They realize that tweezers aren't the quickest way to pull off my tiny hairs, so they start to use some tape. The tape hurts like crazy as they pull it off of my arm. Staring at the hairless part of my arm, I can't help but compare it to the other parts with hair on them. No, it's not a lot of hair, but what they make of it looks amazing.

As they continue ripping the hairs off of my arm, I can't help but groan as it hurts so much. I grit my teeth slowly, and then shut my eyes as the pain is a lot to handle for me. I look down as one of the Capitolites still has a sad expression her face.

''What's wrong?'' I ask suddenly. They all look up at me as they continue to work. The faces they're making sure tells you that they're confused. ''I mean, the expression that you're putting on your face shows me that you're sad, but why? Something's definitely up.''

''Who, me?'' she asks, trying to remove the worried look on her face. I nod my head at her and smile as genuinely as I can. ''Nothing. This is just my normal facial expression.''

That's a total lie.

''This is how all Capitolites look,'' she tries to convince me. ''That's what's hot these days. Our style is completely different then how it was back in your time, dear.''

I swallow my spit and shake my head. That's not it, that's definitely not it. I know when people are feeling down and she is definitely not okay. The other Capitolites have a neutral look or a smile on their face as they work on me, so why doesn't she? If that was really in style 'these days' why don't the other two look like that?

''No,'' I sigh. ''I know that something's wrong. Tell me and we can ta-''

''Child, hush!'' she groans. ''Listen, we're here to make you pretty, not have small-talk about what's going on my life, okay?''

I just shake my head and breath deeply. ''Shouldn't I be lying down?''

''We're different from the other stylists,'' one of them says. I haven't even officially learned their names yet and I'm talking to them. It'd be nice to know their names, actually. They know mine, so I think it's only best that I know theirs. ''We like having you stand first so that we can see all of your... features, and then you lie down so we can finish everything up. After that, you wait for Eliora."

''Eliora?'' I ask.

''That's your head stylist,'' the one male says. I ponder over what she could possibly look like. Being in the Capitol, she most likely doesn't have the best fashion sense, but I'd still like to get to know her. I think she'll be a fun person to talk to, thinking about her name. It sounds really pretty and nice.

''There's not much here, is there?'' one of the Capitolites start to laugh. The others start to join in on laughing and start cracking jokes that I don't understand. What do they mean by there's not much here?

''She's kinda small for the Capitol's liking, don't you think?'' the one male says. ''I mean, she doesn't have much of a package that they'd like. Maybe we can make her look... cute? You know, instead of the more flirtatious female tributes with... everything! We could make her more of a doll in the Capitol's eyes so that they love her for her cuteness. She'll be the innocent and sweet type to receive the flowers and cheers.''

''I like that idea,'' says the one with the Capitolite with the grim face. It doesn't suit her, to be honest. She looks like a precious flower that just blossomed from the ground. I don't know why she's so angry. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it, but I do. I don't want her to be sad about something that she's hiding. It's never good to keep things like that to yourself. She should tell us so we can help her!

''She's such a small girl for her age,'' they start chuckling again. What do they mean by that?! I don't understand! What does all of that mean? Am I irritating to them? Why can't they just fill me in on what that means?! This is the same way that my last prep team treated me and I had no idea what they were talking about.

''What do you guys mean?'' I ask, looking back and forth at each and everyone of them. ''Come on, tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!''

I start to move around as I beg and they all start to get grumpy. They all look at me in anger and try to hold me down. I wiggle my hands around and start moving my legs in a forward motion. The cool A.C. blows on my body as I move and they finally get me to stop.

''Little girl,'' the grumpiest one yells at me. ''Stay still, please! We're almost done.''

They don't seem to like me very much, and it kinda hurts on the inside, but there's a reason for it. She obviously has something going on in her life and she doesn't want to talk about it so she's taking that anger out on me!

They finish removing all of the tiny bits of hair off of my arms, legs, and other body parts and help me up onto the light blue bed covered in sheets and help me lie down. I don't know what's going on next, but my body feels soar and stingy. It burns for some reason, and I don't know why. I guess it's because of all the tape that they used to rip the hair off.

I massage my arms as they continue to burn and just try my best to stay still as they tell me not to move. I don't know what they're gonna do next, but hopefully it can make this pain go away, because I can't deal with it.

It just stings way too much and I've never felt something like this before. Even death wasn't this painful. It was just a simple one, two and I was dead, unfortunately. I don't remember anything after being dead besides complete darkness, but I don't even know if that's what it was actually like.

It was still better than being in the games, though. I don't mind being revived, but it's just the fact that I'm going to compete in the games again! No, I don't want to compete again. Last time I died, and this time the same thing might happen again, but I don't want it to!

I just wish that I could still be with my family. Life would've been so much easier then. It's been over a century since my death, but I still don't agree with being brought back to life just to die again. Back when I was alive and well in Six, my family and I lived in the middle class of our poor District.

Dad owned a laundry and mom was a housewife. Life back then was so simple. Dad was just so loving and caring towards me. He would always treat me the best; he taught me how to make a successful business, he taught me how to deal with whatever problems that I had to deal with, and he taught me so many simple things that I needed to know in order to succeed in life.

He would even help me out with the bullying problems that I had. Kids would always mess with me because I was too kind and friendly, but I don't see why you would hurt someone just because they were nice. They picked on me, pushed me around, and even threatened to hit me at times.

I never did anything wrong to them. The only thing that I wanted to do was try to help them out, but I guess not everyone appreciates kindness. Maybe some people need to just be left alone, but I can't help but care too much about them. Even as they would say mean words to me, I would try to cheer them up by asking them to share their feelings.

Trying to comfort someone isn't a bad thing to do, but maybe there's a boundary that you can't pass, and I think I might have passed that boundary too many times with some people. I just can't help myself, though.

Mom was just as loving as dad except she told me when I made mistakes. She was so beautiful and kind. She loved cleaning and cooking dinner for the family, but she never stopped working. I felt bad because she was such a loving person. It's too bad that I never saw her again after the games.

I look back down at my reaping attire. I remember the arena that year was a desert, which was scorching hot. When we got up from our pedestals, the sun hit us all with full force and everyone was sweating. There was nothing that we could do about the temperature, because it was there to kill us just like the gamemakers intended.

Anyways, back to my arena attire. We really didn't have much to wear that year. It was just a sleeveless tank top with a pair of small shorts that had our District number on them. The shoes were all white and made it easy to run through all the sand.

Sticking out of the pocket of the pants, I see my token: a flower. I remember that flower. I held onto it everyday and night as I was in the Capitol. On the train rides I held it, during the training days I held it, during the interviews I held it, and even while rising on my pedestal I held it.

I try to sit up but I'm pushed down by one of the Capitolites. She's the one who's been quiet for most of my time here and looks like a fairly nice lady.

''Listen, kid,'' she whispers. ''I know that you're just trying to help out, but it's better to keep your mouth shut around her. She's been through quite a bit in these past months and isn't like the rest of us. She's been doing this for years to tributes who have come and gone, but she's truly nice on the inside.''

''So why is she being so distant?'' I ask out of curiosity. ''She shouldn't be keeping it away from others, yet she is-''

''I know, sweetheart,'' she whispers and puts her finger up to my lip. ''But trust me, it'll be better if you just stay out of it.''

''You know, if I were in that situation—and thankfully I'm not—I would open up and talk about it to others,'' I whisper, staring straight into her eyes. She looks at me thoughtfully and pats my shoulder.

''I know, sweetie,'' she says calmly. ''But you just don't enter some peoples' business at times. It's good to be caring, but then there's a point where it's too much.''

I nod my head and do as she instructs me to when she says lie down and stay still. I stay calm and don't move much unless they tell me to turn around or something. They rub some lotion that has the sent of vanilla all over my body and massage my shoulders and legs as they do.

The lotion absorbs quickly into my body and makes my skin feel wet and moist. They pat my legs down and start to rub them help me stretch; they do the same thing with my arms, too. I'm told to lie on my stomach, so I turn around and close my eyes as I wait.

They rub my back, put lotion on my neck and rub it all the way down to my feet. Every part of my body is now smoothed out, and the feel of it is actually quite nice. ''Stay still for just a little bit more, sweetheart.''

I continue to keep myself calm and wait to see what they do. I feel a light liquid brush against my skin and when I hear the puffing sound, I know that it's just perfume. ''Turn around,'' a light voice says. Turning around and lying on my back, the perfume is sprayed from my head to my toes and the prep team pats me down to mix it all in with the lotion. The areas that they spray the most are my neck and right below the midriff. The sweet smell of vanilla mixed with Mogra Flowers is simply divine.

I absolutely love it! My prep team tells me to hop off the bed and stand up. They give me this hospital robe that patients usually wear that leaves your entire back open. I put it on and smile at my prep team as they finish up.

''You are absolutely smooth, child!'' the one who whispered in my ear says. I still don't know their names! ''You smell wonderful as well! Oh, the Capitol will simply adore you when Eliora finishes with you. Once she gets your hair done, and shows you your outfit, you'll be simply precious to the Capitol!''

''Thank you,'' I chuckle as they compliment me. ''Can I ask what your guys' names are? I never fully met you all.''

''I'm Persei, that's Inala, and this is Grey,'' Persei, the one who was kind to me, fills me in. I nod my head and smile at them all.

''I'm Anaya,'' I shout out proudly. They all chuckle at me and tell me that they already know my name. I knew that, but still wanted to introduce myself. We all shake hands and they tell me that they're going to get Eliora for me. I smile while they hand me a mirror to see what they've done for me. I thank them, then begin to look at my reflection.

My eyebrows are trimmed beautifully, the mascara that they put on me makes my brown eyes pop out, my skin is super soft and shines beautifully in the light. I look up as they all leave. ''Thank you!'' I shout.

''You're welcome!'' they all call back out simultaneously.

I couldn't have asked for a better prep team, to tell you the truth. I love these guys, and I'm thankful for what they did to me. If only I could repay them the favor somehow. Maybe I can. They're all nice and I'm so thankful.

Now, I just have to wait for Eliora. I hope to be good friends with her!

* * *

 **Sashen Baize, 16;**

 **District Twelve Female**

I sit here quietly as I sway my feet back and forth, waiting for Alodia to enter the room. All I know about her is that she's super nice and is my stylist. I'm just really excited to meet her. Her name interests me, the way the prep team described her interestes me, and everything that I've heard about her interests me.

Apparently she's done good for these past ten years of making tributes look amazing, and I don't really care about that, but I'm just excited to meet her. I want to learn so much about her and just grow with her as a tribute that she'll get to learn more about.

We can be good friends, and I'll do anything that I can to make her feel happy and smile. Sure, you probably wouldn't think of your stylist as a ''friend'' but I do. If we do become good friends I'll do whatever I can to protect her. I just don't want her or anyone that I care about to feel bad about themselves.

I wait patiently as I grow bored and start to walk around. My arena attire sits smoothly on the floor and stays put in it's position. Sticking out of it is the small feather that I found in front of the entrance of the mines on my first day of work. The mines and that feather bring back so many memories to me.

Growing up in the mines was actually quite fun. I made friends with the workers, and we would always make work a fun competition. Whether I lost or won, I would always show them sportsmanship and be the best friend that I could be. They were all lovely men who just wanted to do good for their families and help out in any way that they could. Especially Tune! He would always whistle and hum as he worked. Tune was an amazing man, and a great friend.

Family life was tough with mother selling clothes in the Hob and father being the manager in the mines. Spending time with them all was fun, but being in the games was a hard part in life. Dying first was terrible, and the way it happened was even worse.

Getting a spear in the back of my head was painful. I didn't die quickly either. The pain was excruciating and as I twitched on the ground I could hear the madness all around me. I know it was one of the careers who threw it, but I'm not sure who it was.

My best guess would have to be Crash, because he was the best with spears. They all targeted me after my interviews, which I didn't find to be too good, but the Capitol did. Being brought back to life was something different, though.

At least I know that I have another chance to live. My strategy will be different this time, that's all I know for sure. I know what I'll be doing at training, since I'm already good at it, but the Capitol will have to wait to see how blazing it'll be.

''Hello, darling,'' I hear a light voice call out. A beautiful woman with a ponytail with a slight braid twist shows up in front of me. Her pony tail hangs to her lower back and it's colored blonde at the top, pink at the middle, and a light blue at the end. She wears a slightly revealing dress that covers her breasts but leaves an opening for her legs. She walks in a fashionable way and has a darling sweet voice that puts you at ease. She's got orange lipstick on and her skin color is a beautiful tan that just lights up the room.

''Hey,'' I smile sweetly at her. She strolls around me and starts to smile. She brushes her hand against my dark brown hair and starts playing with it. She holds onto my shoulders and keeps me standing still as she walks around.

''Do you mind?'' she asks. I look at her confused. I'm not sure what she means by that, but then she comes out and says it as she notices I'm confused. ''Do you mind stripping again? I'm sorry, I know you've been through this twice already, but I need to measure you.''

I nod my head and smile at her as I take off the robe that they gave me. I let it drop to the floor and stand still as Alodia circles me and measures my head, neck, shoulders, arms, waste, legs, and feet. She smiles at me as she holds my shoulder and looks straight into my eyes.

''Sweetie, you are beautiful!'' she chuckles in the Capitol accent of hers. ''We're going to make you look even more appealing to the Capitol! They're gonna love you and want to sponsor you and want to keep you around forever! Watch!''

She quickly takes out a kit that has a brush and paint with mascara in it. I stand still and don't object as she begins to work. I watch as she colors my trimmed, gas thin eyebrows with a honey brown marker. I'm not sure how it's going to look, but I figure it'll be good enough for the Capitol.

After doing so, she powders my cheeks with some makeup and makes them flush. I smile as my cheeks start to blush and she pats me on the shoulder once more. ''No!'' she yells in a playful manner. ''We don't want you smiling now. They cause wrinkles!''

I make an awkward expression and then just listen to what she has to say. She finishes up with my other eyebrow and then starts to outline my eyebrows with the dark mascara. She tells me that it makes my eyes pop out and I just smile at her words.

As she finishes, she then looks at my body once more. ''You're normally pale, aren't you?'' she asks. I nod my head slowly at her. ''The lotion did well for you, and I think the Capitol will love the darker tone to your skin. Now, one problem here are those chapped lips. Do you bite them a lot?''

''Yes,'' I say. It's not my fault. It's just a force of habit to tell you the truth. I'm not proud of it, but it happens and I can't lie about that. ''So how's your day been?''

She looks at me and smiles. ''Did you know that you're the first tribute to ask me that in years?'' she smiles sweetly at me. ''It's been going great, now that I got to meet you.''

That's just how I do. Meeting new people is fun, and making their job more bearable is just something that I enjoy doing. I'm glad that it doesn't bother them. I just want to make her feel warmer and happier than she was when she entered the building today. I don't know how her attitude was like before, but I hope that it's better now.

''I'm glad to know that,'' I say as she fixes up my lips by adding some type of substance to them. The burned feeling on my lips soon vanishes as she continues to brush them up. She then adds bright red lipstick to them and polishes me up. I smile gently at her and then just stand still as she starts circling me again.

She grabs my hand softly and motions me towards the bed. ''Get on so that I can do your nails,'' she smiles. I hop onto the bed and sit there as she looks for a polish that would best suit my skin. She finally decides on one and picks up a diamond colored polish and paints every nail on my fingers besides the middle one.

She picks up a gold nail polish and paints my entire middle finger nail gold and adds a bit of sparkle to them. I'm not sure how she did it, but she used a small paint brush to take silver nail polish and then brushed it up with something else. I have no clue, but they look beautiful and sparkly.

She does the same thing to my toes and I smile as she finishes up. ''Close your eyes for a second, darling,'' she says as she picks something up for my eyes. I'm not sure what it is, but when I close my eyes I feel a powdery substance brush against my eyelids.

''You can open them up now,'' her voice rings in my ear. Once I open up, she's right in front of my face and staring into my eyes. ''We're going to do your hair now, okay?''

As I smile and nod my head, she starts to work on it instantly. I'm not sure what hairstyle it's gonna be or how I'm going to look after it's all done, but I'll be happy with it either way. Her hands feel smooth against my scalp as she continues to work on my hair. I can feel her twisting them and knotting them into braids as she works.

This goes on for quite a few minutes and by the time it's over, I could swear it's been over an hour. She finally finishes up and then brings out a mirror for me to see what I look like. I gasp once I see what I look like, and I can't do anything besides repay her with happiness. My mascara looks amazing, and the waterfall braid that she made my hair into looks simply wonderful!

''Thank you so much,'' I laugh as I hop off of the bed and hug her, not realizing that I'm still fully nude. ''Ha ha, sorry about that. It's just nice meeting new people and especially since you helped me out, I'm thankful.''

''You're welcome, sweetheart!'' she begins to laugh. ''You've made my day just by letting me work on you. Your personality is so charming and I absolutely love you. You make me so happy!''

I can't help but laugh with her. I just love watching people laugh and enjoy themselves. Just being around them makes me happy and cheering them up makes me feel even better. I just enjoy watching people enjoy themselves.

''Hold on'' she hushes me before I can respond. ''I'll be right back with your outfit, darling!''

I watch as she runs out of the room while repeatedly clapping her hands and squealing. I just love her, and I see her as an amazing friend that I've made on my journey back to the Capitol.

Alodia runs back into the room with this outfit that looks stunning. She brings out this gown that has a large opening for my right leg in it and the gown is sparkling with diamonds. I'm told to come put it on, so I get off of the bed and slide on the outfit.

To accompany the gown is a small crown that compliments the entire outfit. To my surprise, the crown has the number Twelve embedded on it in all diamonds and it's a coal black color. The way the diamonds sparkle in it makes it look absolutely stunning. It goes so well with the gown, as well.

The gown is also coal black, but the diamonds pop out more. There's one large diamond in the center of the gown that has Twelve in it, but just faintly to the point where you can barely see it. There's a gold lining around my waistline and a sword along with some fire around it to show a theme of gladiator.

I quickly put the whole thing on and twirl around as Alodia claps her hands. ''Do you like it, honey?'' she asks in excitement. I watch as her eyes sparkle in the light and look me up and down.

''Yes,'' I say thankfully. ''But why the diamonds?''

''Because coals turn to diamonds!'' she says.

''W-What?'' I ask. Did she just say that coals turn into diamonds? That's an ignorant statement, if I say so myself.

''Coals turn into diamonds, sweetheart! You're from Twelve, you should know that!''

''Sure,'' I say sarcastically as I role my eyes.

She comes near me and I see an ear piercing in her hands. She grabs my right ear without a warning and just clips an earring on. I let out a small howl and then she does the same with my left ear. I knew that it was coming, but how quick she did it was surprising to me.

The earrings are crystal jewel butterflies that compliment the gown perfectly. I smile thankfully at her as I finish putting everything on except for the shoes that she didn't show me. She brings out crystal glass shoes that almost sparkle with diamonds at the end of them and on the heel.

Alodia picks them up and slips them onto my feet. They're a little tight and I tell her this but she just says that it's worth the look. I nod my head and force them onto my feet as I close my eyes. They squeeze tightly against my toes, but thankfully there's an opening for them to breath.

The lights turn off suddenly and I'm sparkling in the dark. I smile at Alodia as she turns the lights back on and compliments me. She quickly grabs my arm and brings me out into the main building as I meet Cia there. Cia walks out with his stylist and we're dressed almost the same.

His outfit is almost the same theme as mine, since we're both sort of gladiator themed, but I'm more of a princess type, judging from the way the outfit looks. Cia wears a Roman Gladiator outfit that's all covered in diamonds that sparkle even bright than mine do. I smile happily at him, but he simply flicks me off.

''Screw you,'' he shouts. ''Why the fuck are you looking at me? Did I say that you could look at me? Did I ask you to? No, bitch, so don't!''

I step back a little bit and so does Alodia. We then ignore him as his stylist rolls his eyes. ''He's been a pain in the ass all day.''

''You've been a pain in the ass, bitch!'' Cia shouts out while pushing his stylist away. ''Don't fucking talk about me when you're the little bitch here!'' I can't believe I'm partners with this guy. I wish I wasn't. He's a total jerk! How can anyone stand someone like him?

''God,'' he sighs. ''All of you here are nothing but bitches, okay? I'm better than all of you and you're all nothing but dumb bitches who can go choke on a large di-''

''Cia!'' his stylist shouts. We all stare at each other and then it gets quiet for a couple of minutes. I watch as all the other tributes walk out from their areas and talk to their stylists about how they're going to perform during the Chariot rides.

All of the other tributes look amazing, and I don't even know what to say. As I'm staring at them all and just mesmerized by how good they all look. I mean, Cia and I look good as well, but the other tributes are just wonderful looking.

I turn around as I hear the ripping of clothes. Cia rips off the right piece of his gladiator outfit and leaves that side sleeveless. Half his chest is showing and so is his lean muscle as he walks around ignoring everything that he's being told.

''You guys have to look good for the Capitol, okay?'' Alodia says, ignoring everything that Cia is doing. Even Cia's own stylist has ignored him and moved on to me. I don't know why Cia acts this way, but I don't want to meet him properly. There's no reason to meet someone like him, so I won't try to get to know him.

''Be cute, be flirtatious, be incredible!'' she's basically shouting out now. ''The Capitol will love you being fierce and pretty for them. Do something that will make you stand out, something that will help draw them into you so that they'll send you sponsors in the arena. Something to make you look like the best tribute out there!''

I nod my head at her as she continues to speak. I just have to please the crowd, and I plan on doing so. There's a reason for it, and it's to not die this time around. I'd like to go back to Twelve and even if my family or the friends that I met in the mines aren't alive anymore, I can still meet others who I'd love to talk to.

I can do this, I know I can. It's simple. I have to make the Capitol love me somehow; by pleasing them. I'll do as Alodia told me to do and please the Capitol. I've got to figure this out quickly, though. ''Times up!'' both stylists shout at the same time. ''Go out there and please the Capitol. Your chariot is waiting.''

I hop onto the beautiful, wooden floor of the chariot and wait for Cia to come on. He slowly steps in and I watch as the diamonds dazzle in the sunlight as we move towards the entrance of the Capitol.

''Don't look at me, don't touch me, don't talk to me. I don't like bitches,'' he says. ''And I'm talking about you and those other fucks that they call 'stylists.' Do me a favor and stay out of my way, will you?''

I ignore his words and continue on to what I need to do. Please the Capitol, please the Capitol. Looking back at my outfit, I think I just might know how. I'm not sure if it'll work, but I can only hope for the best, can't I?

Here we go. It's all or nothing from here on out.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! So, here's the Chariot Preparation! Sorry if you were expecting the Chariot Rides this chapter, but that's next chapter. Just a heads up, I'm mixing the two submitter outfits together to make them accompany each other. I don't just want them both being completely different things. Where's the fun in that?**

 **Sorry I didn't put in other outfits for this chapter, but I'm saving those for the next one. Hopefully you'll all like them. I know that I enjoy them, but let's see how you guys react to them. :) Hopefully you enjoyed the first outfit that you saw. I mixed the gladiator with the diamond princess type thing and made... that!**

 **I might make a couple of changes towards some of your Chariot Ride outfits, but it won't be anything too complex. Sorry in advance. I'll do my best to stick with what you guys have, and who knows? Maybe I won't change them at all. I always say that I'll do things, but usually go back on my word. Anyway, I don't think there was much that was going on this chapter and it was probably my most bland one yet. Oh, and sorry if this chapter had sentences that made no sense at all. I wrote this on my phone, as well, and like I said before, my texting game isn't that good...**

 **I'm not too fond of what I did here, because most of it was just standing naked in front of three people, so yeah... It wasn't too great of a chapter, in my opinion, but hopefully you guys liked it and thought otherwise. If not, I totally agree with you :D Onto the questions!**

* * *

 **You're Carter's mentor and he's giving you the same old attitude that he introduced when he was reawakened. What do you do when he takes it too far?**

 **You stand naked in front of three stylists and they make fun of your body because you haven't fully grown or matured? Do you feel insulted, do you get back at them, what do you do?**

 **Your stylist is now your friend and just brought you the most spectacular outfit ever. Would you honestly be their friend and enjoy speaking to them, or are you thinking that they're weird and only here to help you out for the time-being?**

* * *

 **That's all for this chapter. I hope that you all enjoyed. I'll try to get the next chapter out on Monday, since school's off for me, at least, and maybe Sunday if I actually work on the chapter. I doubt that I will, though. Homework, studying, and essays all get in the way, and then I've got midterm exams, so... yeah! Anyway, I'll see you all next chapter. Love you all, bye! ^-^**


	11. They Love Me! They Actually Love Me!

**Chariot Rides**

* * *

 **Domino Reath, 17;**

 **District Four Male**

I move away from Seraphina and our stylists to go after Enigma. Where the hell is she? She completely ignored me while we were in the line, and while I was calling after her name. I'm so shocked that she died. I didn't even think that she was reaped into the games!

Where is she? Come on, Enigma! Turning around, my long jade green cape flaps against the the skin tight, leather trousers that drip with water. I brush my hand against my wet, dark brown hair and remove them away from my eyes to get a better sight. ''Domino!'' Seraphina calls out for me.

I ignore her words and continue walking around. I can't find her! Dammit, dammit, dammit! I feel like giving up, but that won't solve a damn thing. A small, light hand touches the ripped part of my ruffled shirt. I let some tears stream down my eyes, only to get Seraphina to go away. She notices this and then asks what's wrong.

''Seraphina,'' I let a small squeal out. ''Please, I'm not feeling too well right now and need time to myself. Please go away.''

I look back at her and smudge the water down onto my eyes and make it seem as if I'm crying. ''Please,'' I plead. She nods her head and jogs away back to our stylists. When I think I have more time to look for Enigma, the bell signaling that it's time to get onto our chariots goes off. Everyone is moving around in a perfect line while I'm over here kneeling on the ground just waiting for Enigma to come over and pick me up.

''Domino!'' three voices shout at me in unison.

God dammit! What do they want?! I quickly stand up and look back at them, my shirt all wet and sliding open just a bit. As I walk over to Seraphina and our stylists, I hear all the other tributes talking to each other and more. I'm not a big fan of all these other tributes, since most of them are nothing but scrubs.

''Here, here, darling!'' my stylist, Echo, calls out for me. ''Hold onto this, sweetie.'' I roll my eyes as she hands me a diamond colored spear that has jewels on it. It's long enough for me to stab Seraphina in the stomach with, and she's at least ten feet away from me. ''Listen, you and Seraphina are both going to hold that spear up together to show the Capitol that you're both prepared to win. Don't argue, don't show any sign of weakness, and don't let go of the spear once you hold it up. Understand?''

I nod my head and let out a sigh as our stylists continue talking. The only thing that I'm looking forward to is that Enigma stands in the chariot right behind me. Our stylists finally finish talking and I decide to walk onto our chariot. I hold my hand out for her to climb onto the chariot, but as soon as she reaches out I pull it away and let out a light laugh.

''Thanks a lot, asshole.''

I ignore her words and watch as she climbs up on her own. I turn around to see Levi and Enigma talking, and she catches my eye and quickly looks away. Dammit, stop ignoring me! I turn around, my face flushed with anger, and look as Carter continues to bother his partner. She's ignoring him while he continues to elbow her in the shoulder, and puts on that sweet girl act. She's definitely not sweet. Just the look in her eyes tells you that she's angry and she's vindictive of something.

I let out a deep breath and sigh as the chariots in front of us start moving, and watch as our horses start moving, as well. Two mystic beauties with a stream line of water coming out of their tails as the black dots on their bodies shine. To be honest, these horses might actually outshine the both of us. Their hooves make a beautiful sound on the concrete floor of the Capitol, but that's not important at the moment.

Nothing like that is important.

As soon as District One moves out, the crowd starts cheering their minds out. Hero and Parvati leave off a great impression from the start with their outfits. Hero wears a pure white tuxedo with glowing emerald gems on them. The emerald gems leave off a pretty glow to them and the light shines almost everywhere. The gems are on the front, the back, the sides, the top, and the bottom.

The Capitol is going nuts as they watch Hero stands perfectly still. Parvati, on the other hand, is wearing something super skimpy. It's almost the same as Hero's, except she's wearing more of a club dress. It's super short and quite revealing, but then again, District One always is with their attractive girls.

The dress is see-through, actually, so the Capitol is eating all of this up. Her dark underwear shows through her mini skirt that's pretty damn short, if I say so myself. It's nearly up past her thigh. These Capitolites sure are loving all of this. She's obviously wearing anything under her top to censor herself, so I wonder how Hero feels about that.

The Capitolites cheer and cheer as they all pass. Parvati starts pumping her fists and dancing for them while Hero stands there and chuckles nervously, his cheeks all flushed up. I don't get why they're eating this up. Parvati's dress is nothing special; it's more of an interview outfit, in my opinion. That's where I'm wrong, though.

I didn't notice this, but inside of her dress, on her body, are tons of emeralds all shining through. The light hits both Hero and Parvati as their emerald gems make a symbol that shoots up into the air in a glittery fashion showing District One right above their heads. The light shines beautifully as the One circles their heads and both of their faces show in the light.

Parvati hugs Hero and wraps her legs around him in a hug as she kisses his cheeks. The Capitolites all cheer and give them a round of applause. Hero tries to pull away and blushes even more when she wraps him in a small kiss to the lips. She smiles with her perfect white teeth and laughs as she lets Hero go.

The last thing that I notice before moving on from District One is that the two hold something up together. Hero has a small diamond in his hands and he raises it into the air as Parvati holds his hand. The diamond rises up and gets inside of the holographic representation of District One and shines brightly throughout the streets.

Show offs...

Isha, from District Two, wears an up-do hairstyle that's in a classic, wavy ponytail. Her ponytail hangs to the side of her shoulders and that makes it looks spectacular in the lighting. I can only see her mascara pop out whenever she turns her head to the right, and when she does it goes so well with the sparkling pink lipstick that she wears. They've clipped her ears with earrings that have all sorts of weapons on them: swords, knives, daggers, spears, bows, and more.

Her cheeks are all puffed up and her beauty makes the Capitol cheer in affection for her. Her black, strapless ball gown makes her tan and lighted skin shine in beauty as the sun hits her straight on. She holds a pose of confidence and beauty as the midnight black horses push her and Asyrin forward.

Her nails are painted in a light pink as she wears strapless, polka dot black and white high heels that match with her gown. You'd think that was all, but she wears a sparkling gold Queen crown that has all sorts of gems on it: amethyst, ruby, diamond, onyx, citrine, and diamond. I thought that was all that she had to offer until she pulled out a small bow from the bottom of their chariot and shot an arrow up into the air.

Fireworks pop in the midsummer sky and the explosion of colors fall over everything. They don't burn, they don't sting. They just feel... smooth. I guess they're going for the King and Queen look, but Asyrin is sort of a warrior mixed with a king.

He wears the same crown as Isha does, but he's more of a warrior, like I said earlier. He wears nothing but a small vest that makes his muscles pop out and grins in the sunlight. He has a white toga surrounded across his waist and wears black leggings with the outfit. Both of their long red capes sway in the wind as their chariots speed up. The capes then come together in a tight embrace and look as if they're hugging each other.

Unlike Isha, he wears more of ancient Roman sandals. I like the twist that they gave the two. They're both meant to be a King and Queen type couple, but Asyrin's catch was more of a warrior. I guess he just set off that type of vibe. I'm not sure, but that's-

''ASYRIN, YOU AIN'T SHIT!''

I get confused, Seraphina gets confused, and most of the tributes around our area get confused, too. The two tributes from Two completely ignore the voice while One looks back at them. Asyrin, like Isha, pulls out a weapon from his chariot floor. It's a small mace that he throws up into the air with all of his might and Isha shoots another arrow into the air. The arrow hits the mace and a heart forms from the explosion, showing the love of the two that I know isn't there.

They look at each other and look away. Asyrin has a devious smile on his face, and Isha just looks like she isn't interested in him. She doesn't look like she's interested in anyone, matter of fact. The heart quickly disappears and shows both of their faces above each others heads. Looks like District One has just been outdone.

The crowd roars with applause and cheers as flowers, candy, clothes, and much more fly out towards the two tributes. One woman even throws her bra at Asyrin. He catches it and then bows as he puts it in the pocket of his attire. You can here an ''Aw'' where most of the females stand in the crowd. What is wrong with these people?

District Three is... something else. I guess the little boy with the bitchy attitude got his way. He wears a royal blue medieval suit with a gold sash across it. His shoulders are tinted gold and it seems to be weighing him down. Poor boy can't even hold himself up. What a shame.

The suit falls down to his lower thigh and then stops there. He fixes up his bow tie and buttons the gold on his shirt as I look him up and down. He wears white tights with black boots and holds his hand out to the Capitol as they eat out of the palm of his hands. To tell you the truth, District Three isn't much this year. You'd think that they would have something interesting, but I guess not. They basically copied District Two.

Well, almost... His partner is a knight. That's quite fascinating. I don't understand why District Three took on the bold look this year. Their tributes usually aren't warriors, so I don't really understand the concept of it all. Maybe their tributes this year are actually some type of competition? Who knows besides them? I doubt it, though.

I'm not sure what her name is, but his partner wears knights armor. She has the silver armor that sounds like steel whenever she moves and wears a cape with it. She has a sword on the sash surrounding her waist and keeps it there for props, I guess. She has a cross symbol on the back of her cape and wears a long skirt with tinted boots.

District Three is quite boring, to be honest. I think that's it until the boy quickly elbows her in the stomach and pushes her down onto the ground. He stomps on her back and places one foot on top of it. ''Kneel before me, peasant!'' he shouts in the air.

I'm shocked by his actions, but I don't put on the facial expression. The Capitolites all start to laugh and cheer as he continues to mess around with her. He quickly pulls the sword out of her sash and holds it up into the air almost as if he's going to behead her. He chuckles as she looks up in anger, and before I know it she pushes him off and he falls on the back of his head.

His hair sways in a forward motion, and her hair that was beautifully down in a long and wavy flow is all messy now. Maybe it was meant to be a comedy act, but I doubt that, too. ''I told you you weren't shit, Asyrin!'' Carter yells out. ''You and your District partner have nothing on us, you little bitches!''

Asyrin doesn't say anything, but I feel as though he's raging on the inside. He turns back and the only thing that you can see are his eyes. I chuckle a little bit as he gives Carter a death stare. Carter yells one more time. ''Faggot!''

Asyrin jumps off of his chariot while Isha just face palms. He runs over to Carter's chariot and pulls him off of it. Carter's head hits the floor roughly and the boy lets out a yell. Carter quickly gets up and runs past our chariot as he hits a horses face. He trips over himself and then gets back up, trying to run over towards the boundaries that keep us from touching the Capitolites.

He falls onto the floor and Asyrin runs up to him and holds onto the railing as Capitolites tap his hands. He continues to repeatedly kick Carter in the face as the boy tries to run away but to no avail. Asyrin lays the beating on Carter as the boy cries for help, but his District partner does nothing about it.

Nobody does.

 _It's your turn,_ a thought pops into my head. I turn to the right and look at Seraphina. ''You ready?'' I ask her. She nods her head at me as I hold out the spear for her to grab. She reaches and then I pull it away, once again. I let out a light chuckle as she looks at me in anger.

''Really?''

I shrug and then actually hand it to her this time. Time to put on a show.

* * *

 **Candice Davenport, 18;**

 **District Eight Female**

Look at this. The two idiotic boys from Two and Three are fighting it out in front of the Capitol. Some dumb ass bitches, to tell you the truth. They're both idiotic and are gonna die by my hands. I'll kill them all. I'll kill every single on of these pitiful tributes, even my own damn ally.

I don't even think of him as an ally. The kid is crazy and retarded. He seems sweet, quiet, and caring, but I hate that about him. What a little bitch. I can't believe I was brought back to be allies with someone like him. He's such a waste of an ally, so killing him wouldn't be too hard.

Up ahead, I see the District Four tributes showing the Capitol what they're made of. Seraphina, I think her name is, holds up a spear along with her District partner. They both share a smile, but you can tell that they're both fake as fuck.

Domino, dressing up as a sea prince or something, starts rising into the air as water drips from his outfit. There's a pool of water all over the chariot and it drips off as he pulls Seraphina up with him. He lets out his arm for her to grab and she does, bringing herself up into the air along with him. They both raise their spear up in victory as they hold each others hands and smile at the Capitol.

The water swoops up from the bottom of the chariot and surrounds the feet of Seraphina. Well, not feet, but more like... whatever the hell you call the things at the end of mermaids. Fins, I think they're called. As the water continues to move up to her body, her fins start to disappear. She looks down in awe and laughs as her legs show.

She starts moving her legs around as the water swoops her up and she basically starts walking on it. Her mermaid bra starts turning into gills and they seep into her body. She starts to drop back into the water as she holds her breath and turns back into a mermaid. The Capitol cheers and roars with applause. They throw multiple flowers at her as Domino starts forming into something. His hair starts flowing in the air just like Seraphina's did. He goes through the same transformation as he and when he's done, he drops back down to the chariot just like she did.

He holds out some type of moving water in his hands and it's in the shape of an orb. Seraphina holds her hand out and they lock together as Domino puts on a frown. The water shoots up into the air and explodes as some of the evaporated water falls onto the ground, making the Capitol cheer even more.

Seraphina's curly brown hair dances in the air as the wind pushes it forward; Domino's straight dark brown hair swoops up into the air and then falls back down to the left side of his face. What an interesting thing for Four to do. Too bad I don't give a damn about either of them; I've never given a damn about anyone besides Janet.

I cross my arms as District Five starts to show themselves off. The girl has her hair in a fishtail braid and I can't see much after that besides her outfit. She wears a silky dress in a lilac shade covered in computer chips. The computer chips let out a bit of electricity and start zapping whenever she moves. She smiles and waves cheerfully at the crowd to please them and they smile as an electric shock zaps into the air.

Her partner wears a tuxedo that's open with a white undershirt beneath it. There are feathers scattered all across the outfit and they start lighting up. They're all over the black pants that he's wearing, too. His outfit begins to light up intensely and then the feathers start to fall off. I don't think he knows what's going on, because he starts looking at his District partner as she shrugs.

The feathers all fall off of his outfit and the Capitol stays quiet as they look at him. Nobody is sure what's going on and the outfit looks pretty boring. Looks like his District partner will be getting all of the sponsors in the arena. If she doesn't die by my hands, that is.

His outfit completely falls off and I start to chuckle. Do they really intend on making him stand there naked? I hope not, because I have something special planned out. As his outfit falls to the floor, he's now wearing one of those video game outfits that the people they're copying movements from wear with the dots on them. I'm not sure what they're called, but instead of the dots it's a bunch of light bulbs.

That's pretty cool, actually, but it's nothing compared to what I plan on doing. The light bulbs begin to shimmer in the light and his partner's chips are decorated in the light that they let off. Their outfits complement each other, and the Capitol seems to be eating it all up.

The boy moves his hand over his neat hair in nervousness, but soon puts it back to the messy brown hair that he used to have when he first arrived to the Capitol. That cute appearance of his is gonna get him tons of sponsors in the arena, but I don't plan on letting him survive for long. He'll be a threat with all of the love him and his ally will both receive. I plan on taking them both out very, very early.

Up next is Six. Their District reminds me of my favorite number: six, six, six; six hundred sixty-six. I can't wait for Lord Satan to see what I have planned for him this evening.

Before they even begin, though, District Three's chariot starts to spark up with electricity. The boy from Three is still getting his ass beat by the boy from Two and his partner is getting all of the glorious fame. She's given a standing ovation as her knight's armor starts to turn a different color: electric blue.

She's lucky to be getting all of the fame and glory. She's in a better position than I am with such an invidious person—worse coming from an erstwhile ally—that made my blood boil and made my temper rage.

I don't even know why I call him erstwhile; he never was my ally to begin with. There's no point in it, but I sure do hope for his death in the arena.

District Three stops getting all the attention after the girls electricity goes away, and now we're back to Six. The first thing that I notice when I look at Six is the girl. Her hair is done in a half up French braid and it looks cute. I hate cute. She's another one that I want to kill.

She waves and blows kisses to the crowd as her nails sparkle in the sunlight. Her silver painted nails go good with the outfit that she's wearing: she wears a chaffing, white bow tie, a short vest over here white undershirt showing her stomach, a short white skirt with white pantyhose's underneath them, white open toed high heels that look way too big for her, and a train conductor hat.

Above the hat is a halo that gleams in the light. So they went for the innocent theme, huh? It's working, because the Capitol is awing and clapping for her. They throw a bouquet of flowers all around her. She catches one rose in her hand and smiles as she bows.

Her ally is definitely being out shown by her. His outfit is a regular train conductor who has nothing special to him. I mean, unless you count a green bow tie as something special. The Capitolites don't even bother to send him anything, but just continue to cheer for his ally. She's getting all of this praise that will mean nothing once we reach the arena, because she's also gonna die.

Up next is Seven, obviously.

Eudora's hairstyle is different from when she came into the Capitol. They were going for the sexy look, and that's exactly what they got out of her. Her hair is all curly and puffed up at the bottom, not only showing her beauty, but it goes well with her revealing outfit to make the Capitol eat all of this up.

Like Parvati, her outfit is sort of see-through. She wears a plaid crop top that's below where they should be, showing some of her breasts and mass amounts of cleavage. The Capitol is sick for cheering this girl on because she's showing skin. Some sick and perverted bastards they are for enjoying eighteen-year-old kids and younger being half-naked. I hate them all! Just they wait and see.

Her combat boots and black knee socks go good with the ripped, short overalls that she has on. With all of that on, some branches and vines stick out of the outfit just a little. I like how they added the form of nature in their District outfits. Maybe it was intentional, but by the look on her face, you can tell that she didn't know about it.

Orion isn't dressed like her. He has vines and branches sticking out of his outfit, but he's not revealing like she is. He wears a simple light green tuxedo. The branches stick out quite a bit, and when everyone thinks that's all to it, the tuxedo starts forming into bark. Not all of his tuxedo is gone, but most of it has turned into bark, showing a bit of a nature God, I assume.

He reaches his hand out for Eudora to take, but she quickly moves hers away. She doesn't move it away in intention of being mean, but more of she just doesn't want to. He looks at her and pleads as the Capitol cheers for them to continue. He looks down at her and she finally gives in. She lets out a sigh and smiles at him as they wrap each others arms together and lift it into the air.

The tree branches and vines that stick out of their outfits come up together and wrap around each other at the top just like their hands do. The branches form a stem while the leaves and vines form the top of the stem to show a Seven, indicating their District.

The dumbass people of the Capitol start to cheer and throw a ton of things at the two. They'll both obviously receive a great amount of sponsors in the arena, but one of them will surely outdo the other. I don't know who it'll be, but it's bound to happen.

It always happens.

 _It's your time to shine. Show Lord Satan that you still follow his path,_ the thought in my mind drags out. I look over at my District partner who smiles at me. Dammit, he's so annoying! I want to rip every single intestine out of his body and eat them as he watches. I just want to kill him so, so, so bad!

''Come on,'' Nathan smiles at me as he tries to touch my hand. I slap his hand away and look at him disgust.

''Don't fucking touch me!'' I shout as I spit in his face, blinding his left eye momentarily. He wipes it away and looks at me in shock. He won't do anything, though. People like him never do anything. Only worshipers of Satan understand what I do. Only they understand the true meaning of life and the reason we do things like this.

We're wearing identical outfits with revealing clothes that are colored tan with words moving across our bodies. Nathan tries to smile and wave at the Capitol, but it doesn't work since they don't like our outfits very much. Now I can do something that I've always wanted to do ever since they brought me back to life.

I rip off the top of my clothes and strip my bottoms off, letting them fall to the ground. I face Nathan and he looks at me in shock, his face blushing immensely. His face is all flushed up and he has no idea what to do. I stand there, not waving to the crowd or doing anything of the sort.

The audience gasps and is quiet for a while. I don't know what their reaction is gonna be, but I don't care. Every other tribute in front of us are quiet and not understand what's going on. Everyone turns around and looks at me. District Seven is shocked; they have no idea what to say or what to do.

Orion just turns back around without a single word while Eudora looks at me in confusion. She shakes her head and turns back around, too. The Two from Six don't understand either. The boy continues to stare at me while the girl quickly turns around, covering her eyes.

The Two from Five both look at me, then at each other, and then turn around. They don't understand; the Capitol doesn't understand; no one understands. District Four doesn't give much of a damn about me. Domino just starts laughing while Seraphina shakes her head, just like all the other girls.

District Three. Well, one of them is getting their ass beat while the other one stands still looking at me. I don't think she's able to take her gaze away, and I don't mind. She's just another death during these games that I'll contribute to. I turn my entire body around and turn towards Asyrin and the boy from Three.

Three points towards me while he's bleeding out of his mouth and Asyrin laughs. Asyrin then stops and turns around to look at me. He mouths the words ''what the,'' and blushes as he looks at me. I guess Careers do have emotion after all, huh? Carter starts laughing and joking around as he watches.

''BE MY QUEEN!'' he yells. Asyrin quickly turns around and shouts at him, saying something in the words of ''Did I tell you to talk?''

He continues to kicking Carter in the face and kneeing him the mouth. Orion turns around to the scenery of Asyrin doing everything that he can to hurt Carter and starts laughing. I look up above to see that we're almost near the President's Mansion and Asyrin sees this, too.

He gets up and starts sprinting towards his chariot. Once he gets onto it, he's a sweaty mess and he pants heavily as he looks at Isha who just shakes her head. She turns and sees me, then she turns back around, shaking her head and sighing.

Then you have District One. Parvati just scoffs as she sees me and shakes her head in anger. Oh. Is pretty girl over there mad that I took the spotlight away from her? Well, if that's the case, we can settle it all in the arena. This time I won't die as easily as I did last time around.

If anything, I'm winning this time around.

I don't even bother to pay attention to the other tributes behind me as I continue to stand still. I hear a squeal from a little girl in the back and I turn around to see both the girls from Nine and Ten covering their eyes. What a bunch of bitches.

If they only brought themselves into the life of Lord Satan, they'd know exactly why I'm doing this. I wonder if he's happy. I know that he'll send me a sign if he is. I know that he was upset with me last time when I died. I owe him my gratitude for bringing me back to life.

This is the least that I can do for him. I roll my eyes back and begin to think about how I died. My spell didn't work. My blood was all over the floor and there was a pool of it just dripping from my wrist. Looking back at all of it, I shouldn't have tried using the spell so early. Because I did, it all resulted in me getting my head cut off by an axe.

This time I'll try the spell around the finale. Killing the last two tributes with Satan's devious spell will only bring me the joy and satisfaction of seeing bugs crawl from their every hole. Watching as their eyes get infested, their noses get clogged up, their throats get ripped apart, and last but not least, a group of knives plunging themselves into their faces.

The bloodied mess of all of them would satisfy me the most. I would love to see them all get killed like that. My pleasures would be met, and maybe I'd get off like that. Actually, I would get off like that. It'd feel amazing, rubbing as they all die from Satan's majesty. I can't wait for these games to start.

After moments of silence, the Capitol starts to make noise. Some mixed with joy, others filled with confusion. Nobody understand why I'm doing this and nobody will. Only one man will. My savior. My everything. The person who helped me get rid of my father, the person who helped me form my friend into another follower of his, the person who helped me turn into the beauty that I am today.

Lord Satan.

 _He's happy, he's excited, he's ecstatic that you did what he told him to do,_ the thought pops into my mind. I'm glad that he's satisfied. This isn't all that I have for him. Watch when I kill all of these bastards. Watch as I force pain onto them and kill each and every one of them.

Watch as I torment them all. I won't end it quickly, either. I'll painfully, slowly, murderously kill them all. Nothing besides their pain and agony will please me. Hoping and wishing that their family watch their very pain and existence be taken away.

He will know that I do follow him. He will know that I won't fail him this time around. He will know that everything I do is for him. Everything that I kill is for him. Everything that I make suffer is for him whether it's people, animals, insects, or plants. Nothing is immune to the power of Lord Satan. Not even those damn religious pricks.

I'll show them all that the man they look up to isn't here to save them. He has nothing against my Lord, and he never will. They'll see. They'll all see. And once I'm done with these games, I'll create a worshiping home for all of Satan's followers. We'll all worship him together in the home of his that will soon be created. I must do it. For him.

''Ash kebi waks

''A ashki moshki wa!'' I hope he finds this entertaining. My prayer for him will never be over. I roll my eyes all the way back this time instead of just a little bit and continue.

Are you happy?

* * *

 **Cia Arongan, 18;**

 **District Twelve Male**

Jesus Christ, this bitch is crazy.

Who cares, though? I'm better than her anyway. There's nothing special about her besides that she's utterly retarded and naked in front of the entire nation. She's such an attention whore. Like, who even is this girl? Nobody knows her.

She's so pathetic, though. The only reason why she's obviously doing this is because she wants to be known like me. I mean, who doesn't know me? God, I'm so done with this girl. She just wants sponsors in the arena, but too bad because they're all going to me.

Watching as the boy from Three tries running back to his chariot is hilarious. Too bad that he's limping and falling. Ha! I like this kid. He's got balls, yelling at a career like that. It's interesting, actually. I want this kid as an ally. He and I would be perfect together; we'd kill the competition, get all of the sponsors, and would win the whole thing.

Well, I'd win the whole thing, because I'm obviously better than that little kid. He'd make the finale with me and we'd kill off the last tribute, whoever the hell that'd be, and then I'd kill him. You know, some back-stabbing shit and then he's done. Too easy.

Anyway, back to the chariot outfits. The District Nine pair are both being shy since that naked girl is right in front of them. They don't seem to say anything, but the Capitol still cheers them on. Both of their outfits are completely made out of grain. So unique, isn't it?

I mean, you're from the grain District, so your outfit has to be grain related, right? The boy wears a suit made out of nothing but grain, and he has a top hat that is also made out of grain. The only thing about it, though, is that it looks like a coil of thread. That's kinda cool, but it has nothing on me.

His partner, who looks like a super shy girl, where's a short dress made out of grain that reaches her knees. Her skin lights up and they look super smooth, almost as if she's never been scratched or hurt. Her skin is that clear. Her body also lights up as she waves to the crowd through her sleeveless dress.

Her boots match her dress and they reach up to her knees. If anything, the outfit looks alright, but it's still nothing compared to someone as fabulous as me. They both wear a brown and gold colored cape that flaps in the wind as their chariots move. You know, I wonder how their horses feel in all of this. I mean, their horses are staring right at the naked girl. I wonder if they feel awkward, dizzy or nauseous.

Ha! I would love to see them throw up. Anyway, the girls long and straight dark brown hair sways in the wind as it blows. It flaps against her face and towards her partner who smiles at her. He holds her hand and raises it up into the air. She smiles at him and he whispers something that I can't hear, because I'm, like, three chariots away from them.

The boys hair was made into straight blonde hair and he doesn't seem to mind it. At least it doesn't get in his face like last time. He smiles as they both look into the air and see their faces on the large screen. They get clothes thrown towards them, kisses blown their way, and flowers thrown their way.

What a pair.

District Ten is cute. Real cute. Psyche. Nobody here is cute besides me. Nobody here deserves praise besides me. All District Ten is is a pair of cow people. Whatever the hell you wanna call it, I don't care. I like calling it cow people, but yeah, I know they're cowboys and cowgirls.

The boy is wearing a farmers hat with a straw in his mouth, a white button down shirt, milk pants. Well, I'll call them milk pants. They're skinny pants that go into his dark brown boots that have cow spots on them. So, cow pants, then? No, milk pants. Yeah. Milk pants sounds about right.

To his right is his District partner. She's the little small girl who had a nervous break down during her reapings. God, she's so annoying. Man, I absolutely despise this girl. You know damn well that she did it all to look cute, but it's not working for her. I don't give a damn whether she's trying to look cute or not, but she better not take the spotlight away from me.

She's dressed almost exactly like her partner, but then again, not really. She wears the same exact hat as her partner, being brown, and a button down white shirt just like her ally. The thing about her button down is that she has cow spots on them instead of on her blue trousers. Her blue trousers go inside of her brown boots.

She pulls something out of her trousers and points it at her partner. He puts his hands up, playing to her act and puts on a shocked expression while the Capitolites gasp. I look closer to see that it's a fake gun that she has pointed at him. She pulls the trigger and milk shoots out, showing that she just milked a cow or something?

It hits her partner in the chest and he gasps while crumbling his knees on the floor. He lies on the chariot floor, pretending to be dead, and then gets up as the Capitolites start to cheer. I'm guessing that's all, but she hands him the gun and he shoots it into the air. He shoots into the sections of the Capitol, above other chariot rides, and back towards us. The three times that he shot all turn into one thing.

Above us is the letter ''D,'' above the Capitolites is the number one, and forward towards other chariots is the number ten. D10. God damn, that's smart! Why didn't my stylists think of that? Oh, I know why. Because their idiotic shits who don't know how to do their job properly!

I let out a sigh as the audience roars with applause. Dammit, that's so stupid! You're going to cheer for some damn milk? Y'all must be thirsty as fuck then. I-I'm done. I can't believe that these idiotic Capitolites all cheer for something so ridiculous.

The girl moves her curled up hair back and forth as her partner smooths out his dark and wavy brown hair. He smiles at her; she just looks up at him with a frown. I don't think they get along too well. It's quite obvious, actually. I'm guessing that she doesn't like him? Or maybe it's the other way around?

I don't know, and I couldn't give less of a damn about either of the two. If anything, they should all be looking towards me and smiling as I flex. I mean, why wouldn't you be looking at all of this? This guy right here—referring to myself—is the best guy in these damn games this year. I'm gonna win it all, and that's quite obvious if you just look at me.

The girl from Eleven is dressed up as some type of Goddess, I guess. Her hair is done in pigtails and she's wearing a long, sleeveless dress that reaches down to her ankles. I would say she's copying my ally, but she's really not. It's quite different, actually.

Not really.

Ha! Did I get you again? Yeah, yeah, I did.

She has a flowery headpiece on, but it's made completely out of wheat. She's holding actual wheat in her hands and I find that funny. Looks like they take this way too seriously. It's just some stupid chariot ride, like why do you need to be all pretty and crap? I'm the one who's gonna get all the attention and sponsors, so there isn't any reason why the others need to try.

I could just stand still and the Capitolites would still eat me up. I'll be dining on gourmet meals while the rest of these tributes look for berries in the arena.

She stands barefoot on her chariot with wheat beads around her ankles. It's straight and all, but I don't see why the Capitol is enjoying her outfit so much. It's nothing special. They probably see this type of shit every single year, but they act as if it's something new and totally complicated.

Her partner is dressed up different than she is. Kind of. He wears an orange waistcoat with nothing under it, a pair of brown jeans, and wheat boots. The wheat is scattered all around his brown jeans and goes up to his waistcoat. I guess he's sort of a wheat God.

The Capitol cheers for them, but it isn't as loud as the other cheers that the other tributes received. I guess they're looking for something to happen. The girl picks up her allies hand as he looks down at her. He probably doesn't know what to do, and he looks depressed. I don't know what his deal is, but he needs to straighten up. Not that I care or anything.

She gets on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek. He doesn't even budge a little, so she completely ignores that and raises his hand up along with hers. She smiles and looks out to the Capitolites as they cheer for her.

They throw tons of things at her: flowers, roses, bouquets, food, candy, clothes. You know, anything that you could imagine in the Capitol. Her pigtails wave in the speed of the horses and she continues to receive applause from the Capitol.

She isn't anything special, but I guess I can share the spotlight with at least one person. No, I lied; I would never share the spotlight with someone else. She can be in my shadow, but she won't receive much.

Now it's our turn. I smile as the Capitol's eyes shift on Sashen and I. Wait, no. Me and Sashen. Yeah, I like that way better. Cia and Sashen. Cia and slave. Cia and his bitch. I like that way more than anything else. In fact, she should be titled one of those last two.

I look at Sashen as she starts playing with her outfit. She's quiet and is just trying to do something. Since she's that princess type shit, and I'm more of a gladiator than she is, I start to flex for the Capitol. The applause that I receive isn't much, but just they wait.

I pull out a knife from my belt and start flinging it around. The Capitolites don't seem to be too interested, so I start picking things up. I start throwing multiple knives from my belt up into the air and laugh as they all rain down.

Thankfully the knives aren't real, but you can see my exceptional skill as I throw them up. They come back down and hit our horses. One of them lets out a neigh and I chuckle. I turn my head at the sound of Sashen playing with her outfit, trying to do something with it but I don't know what.

She rubs the coal dress with diamonds on it as I just watch. Is she trying to make it catch fire? Is this bitch suicidal? She's trying to kill me! Oh, hell no! Before I can move, Sashen's outfit catches light. When I mean light, I mean blinding light.

I don't think she was trying to make it shine, but she's going along with it. The sun hits all of the diamonds on her outfit and when the coal gets heated, the outfit completely turns into a diamond outfit. The light is so bright that I almost fell off of the chariot.

''COAL DOES NOT TURN INTO DIAMONDS,'' she shouts. She looks at me and I shrug, not wanting to talk to her. She shakes her head and looks down at the floor as the crowd erupts in applause. I want to use her to gain advantage, but I don't know how.

I do the first thing that comes into my mind and grab her hand. She looks at me and then turns away, not wanting to talk to me. Fine, be like that. I didn't want to talk to that bitch either. I hold up the last two knives from my belt and stab one into one of Sashen's diamonds.

The knife reflects the color, but it burns onto my hand. I quickly let go and my hand has a crisp burn on it. I shout in pain just a little and start sucking on my fingers. Sashen looks at me, let's go of my hand and looks forward as we make our way right in front of the President's Mansion.

I look back to see the boy from Three running through the streets and trying to get to his chariot. It takes a while and we all wait for him to get over here, but it's taking forever. The President doesn't seem to have much patience, so he begins the speech.

''Welcome!'' the President says as the crowd's applause comes to an abrupt stop. ''Welcome, tributes. We welcome you back to our humble Capitol. We endear your courage and your sacrifice of coming back to the Hunger Games. Even those of you who cannot stay still on your chariots.'' he says look towards the male from Three. ''And those of you who cannot keep your clothes on!" he looks at the crazy girl. "We salute you all, and we wish the best for each and every one of you.''

''You have all been brought back to participate, once again,'' he chuckles. ''Our hearts will be filled with your sadness, your troubles, and your end, but we still love you. Thank you for coming back without a force of restraint, and we enjoy your company.''

I roll my eyes. God, this guy can't be serious. What a-

''We gather our hearts, and we give them to you. Thank you, tributes, and happy Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor!''

After this small speech, all of the chariots start moving again. Three finally reaches his chariot and gets a hold of it. He's hanging on by the side, and he looks pissed. Like I said before, I like this kid and want to get to know him.

Only to my advantage, though. I don't think that he has anything that I want. My thoughts all come to and end when the audience and the drummers start to sing the Panem Anthem. Oh, God, not this bullshit again. Fuck Panem, fuck the Capitol, fuck the Capitolites. I want to leave this damn place.

 _''The Horn of Plenty.''_

Oh, God.

 _''The Horn of Plenty overflows. Panem shall raise above, Panem shall reign above. May our nation never fall again.''_

Suck my balls!

 _''The Horns of Plenty overflows!''_

I haven't heard this song in years. The last time I did was during these exact chariot rides years ago. I bet all of the other tributes were laughing when this song played as they saw my face in the night sky. I'm not sure who the Victor of those games were, but whoever it was was probably gay.

I don't care, though. This time, I plan on winning.

 _''THE HORN OF PLENTY OVERFLOWS!''_

God, these Capitolites and their stupid anthem. I don't understand why they agree to this so much. It doesn't matter, because I'll come out of these games alive and show them that the first time was a fluke. I should've won, because I was better than everyone else in those games. Nobody in these games are better than me, either.

We reach back to the starting point of the hotel that all of the tributes stay at and once we get there, both of our escorts quickly run over to us. I smile as I know that they're coming to hug me but I'm wrong. They run straight over to Sashen! Sashen out of all people!

I turn around to see all of the other tributes getting praised and hugged by their stylists except for the girl from Eight. She stands still on her chariot as she pushes her partner off. She descends from the chariot and walks away past the crowd of stylists and tributes.

What a fucking creep...

Sashen is put into a tight embrace and both of our stylists are hugging her. They start walking away with her and are saying tons of nice things about how well she did and how much she stood out from the rest of these tributes.

That's stupid! What about me? I did amazing, too! Are you kidding me? They're just gonna leave me like that without saying a damn word? They don't even remember to come get me! Who the hell do these people think they are?

Oh my God, are you serious? Just they wait. I'll show them who I am and what I mean when these games start.

Just wait and watch, y-you bitches!

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! So, I actually did get this chapter out, and I'm surprised that I did. I was planning on updating it next week, but since I had time on my hands I figured why not? And like I said last chapter, I did combine both of the submitter chariot outfits into one, so I hope that you guys liked it. Don't hate me. I'm sorry if it wasn't to your liking.**

 **I thought some were good, but I'm biased so of course I'm going to say that. I liked this chapter more than the last one. I thought it was pretty fun writing. Maybe it's because I got to show all of the costumes? Maybe it's because of other things that happened in this chapter, which I doubt. Some of these parts were just awkward writing. Sorry if anyone was offended by that satanic stuff, and if that's your religious practicing or something. Idk, I'm not really that sorry, because I don't do that type of stuff and I'm not with it, but yeah... Keep your spells to yourself, please.**

 **Lol, especially Candice's. Oh, man, I had trouble writing that especially since I came from church, so I felt awkward. I dunno, I had to delete and then retype everything because of how messed up I found it. Thanks for submitting her, James! Lol, I know damn well that Caleb hates her, don't you, buddy?**

 **All of these POV's were somewhat enjoyable. I don't know if I showed much personality in this one, but I hope it's good enough. I think I focused a little bit too much on the chariot ride outfits, but isn't that what this chapter is supposed to be about? Yes... I believe it is! :)**

 **Sorry if some of you aren't getting their tributes' POV's in. I feel terrible, because I really want to give everyone a fair amount of screen time, and I've barely told any of you when they're gonna get their POV's. I hope that you don't hate me, and hopefully you're not growing impatient, but I understand if you are. I'd be growing impatient if my tribute didn't get a POV until twenty chapters in, too.**

 **So, yeah, sorry about that. I promise that I'll get every single one of them at least one chapter before the games starts. If I can. I'll probably drag out the pregames stuff just so that I can get all of your tributes in. And some of the District's might have both of their tributes shown back-to-back like I did here with District Twelve. So, yeah... Sorry! I hope the ones who haven't gotten their tributes shown yet aren't mad! I swear I'll get those up. Onto the question, now, shall we?**

* * *

 **Which District outfits were your favorite this chapter?**

 **Least favorite District outfits for this chapter?**

 **Your partner strips butt naked right next to you on your chariot and starts saying some satanic shit. What do you do? I have no idea what I'd do. Probably jump off of my chariot and start walking towards the President's mansion. If she wasn't babbling satanic shit, I'd probably stay. Sorry... Teen boy hormones... ._.**

 **Your partner outshines you like Sashen did Cia, what do you do?**

 **Your partner makes you kneel before them and stomps their feet on your back in front of Panem and calls you a peasant. Do you try to get them back? Do the same to them? Do you push them off? Etc?**

* * *

 **That's all for today! I probably won't be updating in a week or two, because of midterms and all that studying crap that I have to do, so yeah. Sorry in advance, but I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. I hope you all have a wonderful day/night depending on wherever you live. Love you all, bye! ^-^**


	12. Everyone Swears That They're Hard

**Training Day One:**

* * *

 **Asyrin Katchet, 18;**

 **District Two Male**

What a lovely morning it is.

The birds are chirping, the sun has risen, the company outside is smiling cheerfully. Everything seems to be going well, wouldn't you say so? Can you believe I'm actually back in the games? Last time I was here, I thought I would have won, but I guess the careers had to just step in and fuck up my plans.

Just because I charge at you doesn't mean that I'm going to kill you. Most of the time, it does, but we were a career alliance! Do you know what that means? That means we stick together until the final ten or so. After that, I wreak havoc on all of you and murder you all in the most brutal ways that I can as your family watch through their television screen.

All of them throwing their weapons at me pained my body. Being the last career to arrive was just a dumb thing to have happened. It won't happen again, trust me. I know damn well that Jem was the last one to kill me; throwing his tomahawk right at my chest. Damn, I regret all of it!

I slam my fist down on my bed and throw the blanket off. God, I still can't believe that I died! Killing that Avox made me feel so relaxed that I wish I could just do it over and over and over again! I pick up a small pot next to the tabletop right next to me and chuck it at the wall.

The impact it makes echoes throughout my room and I look straight at the wall to see holographic figures moving. I almost forgot about this! You can change the way you'd like your room to look, ha! Let's see here. What would I like? Capitolites walking around? No. Children playing outside? No. Hunger Games Victors killing their competition? Yes.

I look down at my bed to see an outfit put out for me. I guess this is the outfit that we wear for training. It's not bad. The blood red color goes good with the silver outline of the black outfit with pockets all over it. My last training outfit wasn't like this. It was an all gold outfit that was fairly easy to move in, but still quite difficult to control.

Whatever, I need to go groom myself anyway. Taking one of the random toothbrushes out of the holder, I put some toothpaste on it and start brushing my teeth. Something random comes up and grabs my hand. I get freaked out a little, but then I realize I might be able to kill again. Sadly, it wasn't a person, but some type of electronic gadget that the Capitol received from District Three, most likely.

The machine quickly brushes my teeth, flosses for me, and makes me gargle on mouth wash. I spit it all out and decide to hop into the shower. This is exactly like brushing my teeth; the machine also helps me take a shower, which I'm very uncomfortable with. It turns the water off and starts rubbing soap on my body, moving further down as it goes.

Uh-uh, that's a little too far down, if I say so myself. I grab onto the mechanical arm and snap it in half. Oh, that felt so good. I can't wait to do that to the other tributes in the arena. Only a couple more days, Asyrin, only a couple more days.

After my quick shower, I dry myself off with one of the towels hanging up on the door and go back to my room to put on the training outfit. After strapping all of that on, I try to get comfortable in the outfit. Sure, it's a little tight on my biceps, but I can work with this. It probably stops my blood flow whenever I flex, but that's fine.

A knock comes on my door and it automatically slides to the right. One of my mentors walks into my room and smiles shyly at me. Oh, it's her. She was freaking out when she saw the dead Avox lying on the couch, bleeding out of every part of his body. Ha! Memories...

''Hey,'' she says shyly, her gaze on the floor, not making any eye-contact with me at all. ''So, we came to the conclusion that I'll be mentoring you, and Griffon will be mentoring Isha. Is that okay?''

I sigh, looking straight at her. Why would she want to mentor me? Wasn't she totally against the whole killing thing? And I'm totally with the whole killing thing. We're obviously not a good match for each other to be working together. I'm a killer, she's an emotional killer, who doesn't even enjoy the life of the games, and she calls herself a District Two Victor?

''Why would you mentor me?'' I ask, slowly approaching her. My footsteps pound against the solid floor. She looks up as she hears me approaching closer and closer. ''I thought you would prefer Isha, since, you know, she didn't kill an Avox and everything.''

Sianna's eyes widen in fear, tears building up and sliding down her cheeks. I tower over her, staring down at her eyes as she tries to hold back her tears. She quickly wipes them away, looking up at me and putting on the most determined face she's put on throughout this adventure back to the Capitol.

''Don't be mistaken,'' she sighs, clutching her fists as she looks straight into my eyes. ''I don't care for you, Asyrin. Honestly, this was the only solution. If I let Griffon mentor you, you'd honestly be dead before the interviews.''

''Ooh,'' I say sarcastically. ''That sounds intimidating. You expect me to be intimidated by some has-been? Sweetie, you guys have played your games, and now it's my turn. I doubt that I need help from an emotional bitch and some random guy who's not even known anymore, with anger issues.''

She sighs and begins to walk out of the room. ''What happened to the children of Two? You guys were so innocent when you were born, and so many of you are dead because of that same attitude of yours, Asyrin. I've known so many kids who shouldn't of gone into these games, and now they're all dead besides two of them.''

Ugh! She pisses me off. That question pisses me off. She just doesn't get it, does she?! ''Did your brother get shot in the head for sniffing crack when you were younger?!'' I blurt out, not being able to help myself. I just can't. ''Did your parents favor him over you and leave you all on your own after his death?!''

She looks at me, her eyes wide open and she doesn't know what to say. She starts stuttering, but there's no point in doing so. She won't understand because she was never put into the same situation as I was. The only thing that kept me alive was the training center, when an academy trainer saw me eating a half-eaten burger out of the trash can and my ruthless sense after I beat that one kids ass after making fun of me.

Everyone knowing me as the bloodthirsty child that I was after stabbing him in the neck with a fork was something that I never got from my parents. They always loved Zachariah more because he was the one with the weapon skills and ability to win the games; I was hated because I was the one who treated things with care and thought of them as precious.

Well, that Asyrin's gone. I doubt Zachariah would be proud of me for being this way, but it's all mom and dad's fault. They did this to me! If it wasn't for their pressure against Zachariah to volunteer, he wouldn't be sniffing crack to lower the pressure and stress that he received! I've always tried to forget all about that life and think more of the one that was in front of me with the academy.

Now I just want to strangle Sianna for asking me that question. I just want to wrap my hands around that skinny neck of hers and choke her until she runs out of breath; choke her until she's dead; choke her until someone dares to pull me off of her! I just want to hurt Sianna—the only person here to piss me off besides Carter—until I can't anymore.

She turns around and walks out of the room. I try my hardest to grab her wrist and bring her back so that I can smash her head into the wall, but she's too far gone. There's no point in trying to get her. She's already down stairs and in the main lobby room.

I smile genuinely, thinking to myself. What if Sianna was my District partner. What would I have done to her? Would I have brutally killed her at the bloodbath, shoved my mace into her face, or even stomp on her neck and make her gag on her own blood, while pinching her nostrils closed?

Either one of those would be perfect. I would absolutely love to do anyone of those to that pitiful bitch that's known as my mentor. If anything, I should be mentoring her. _But you're the one who died,_ I shake that thought out of my head. I can't afford to be thinking negative like that. I'll kill so many tributes in these games, and I'm gonna enjoy it so much!

I go downstairs and all four of them—Isha, Sianna, Griffon, and Pauro—are there sitting down, eating breakfast and watching T.V. What a group we have here. I would love to kill each and everyone of them after that rude awakening. It started off as a good day, but then Ms. I'm A Victor over here had to come in and ruin everything. God, I just want to grab Isha's fork and shove it in Sianna's eye.

''When are we going down to the Training Center?'' I ask abruptly, staring back and forth at each and everyone of them. Griffon sighs and puts down his plate. Apparently we're going down as soon as Isha finishes her plate. They tell me that I should get something to eat, but honestly, I don't want anything. I work better with an empty stomach.

Isha is taking way too long. I walk over towards her and slap the bowl of cereal off the table and kick it across the room. ''Come on!'' I demand. She looks up at me with blank eyes, her eyebrows lowering and almost looking as if she's mad at me. ''Are you going to do something about it?'' I ask her. This girl's pissed me off just as much as Sianna has. Why are the pretty girls always the most annoying?

Isha brushes the stains of milk off of her outfit and walks into the elevator. ''Great job,'' Griffon says sarcastically. ''Are you trying to ruin your relationship with your ally?!'' I ignore his words and run straight into the elevator as Isha presses the button to move down into the Training Center lobby. I smile as I meet her eyes, and then that smile quickly fades away once the elevator door crushes into my right hand.

I let out a cry of pain and grit my teeth. Ripping my fist out, I swing it towards Isha who ducks and dodges it. She shakes her head as I continue swinging, and she just dodges swiftly side-to-side. I actually like this girls skill. If only she used it in her games to win. Sadly, she's not expecting me to step right in front of her. To be honest, I've been wanting to fight her ever since I was brought back to life. Fighting just calms me.

The elevator door dings and Isha side-steps away from me and out of the elevator, walking towards the double doors of the Training Center. I run out after her, but she's already inside along with all the other tributes and instructors. Damn it! If only I was five more feet closer to her, I would've been able to grab her hair and snatch her right back into the elevator where I could pound her face until my arms started to cramp up!

Once I open up the doors, every other tribute stares back at me, looking straight into my eyes. I give them all dirty looks and smile deviously as I meet the eyes of the little girl from Ten. She quickly turns around and pretends as if she didn't see me. My gaze meets those of the instructor as she motions me to come towards the circle of surrounding tributes.

I stand straight up, right behind the male from One and the girl from Seven. They both give me interesting looks, and I just return them. The boy from One seems to have a knife in his hands and is playing with it behind his back.

''Hello, all,'' the head trainer starts speaking. ''I'm Siano, your head trainer. My job here is to explain each station, tell you the possible ways to die in this years arena, and to get all of you scrawny tributes into shape for these games. Obviously, the ones who learn the most will survive the bloodbath. The others, have fun in the afterlife.''

Ooh, sassy, isn't she?

''In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead, again. One of you will be alive. That all depends on who pays the most attention and learns the most during these next four days. There are a couple of rules here. First of all, no fighting with the other tributes. You have a lot of time for that in the arena. Second, there are four compulsory exercises and the others are all individual activities. To tell you the truth, the survival skills are your best-friend, and if you decide to ignore them, that's on you.''

I roll my eyes. Who does she think she is? There's no need for survival, to be honest. Just kill, kill, kill, and you'll be good. That's exactly what I plan on doing, and trust me when I tell you that I will. Five kills minimum, twenty-four maximum.

''Everybody wants to grab a sword or an axe, but twenty percent of you will die by natural causes, ten percent from infection, and twenty percent from dehydration. Don't forget the mutts and other tributes. You all must be aware of your surroundings and think about who you trust.''

With those words, everyone starts looking at each other. I make eye-contact with the boy from Three and smile at him. He flicks me off and I start to approach him until our head trainer opens up her mouth again.

''Exposure can kill as easily as a knife, guys. Be careful and go out there and start training.'' she smiles at each of us. I turn my head to see the boy from One throw a knife straight at her and she catches it in between her index and middle finger. She gives him a stare and he gulps, stepping back a little.

This is gonna be fun. I like this guy already. Good thing we're allies, whether he likes it or not.

* * *

 **Challis Damask, 17;**

 **District Six Male**

After the boy from One throws a knife, him and the District Two boy start snickering and talking. Sure, I'm interested in what they're saying, but they're careers so it's most likely something about how they're gonna murder all of us. It's kinda scary, knowing that even the dead careers are as talented as the regular, living and breathing ones.

He stole my idea of trying to pull a trick on our trainer, though!. You've got to be kidding me. That was my idea! I should go over there and confront him about it, but then again, I shouldn't. It's a bad idea to be getting into fights this early on, and I can't risk getting on the bad side of these tributes. Especially not the careers.

I watch closely as I turn my head to see the boy from Seven swinging wildly with an axe. He's absolutely terrible, and he's from District Seven? This actually amuses me. I take my time to sit back and watch as he challenges a trainer who starts smiling. He holds up his axe and charges at him.

This obviously isn't going anywhere. The guy can barely hold up a- Woah. I watch as he continues swinging his axe in perfect sync to that of the trainers sword. He smiles evilly at the trainer and elbows his stomach as he knocks the sword away from his hands. He picks up his axe and swings it straight at the trainer's neck, who shuts his eyes and waits for defeat.

It never comes, so he decides to open his eyes up and when he does, he gets swept off of his feet by the boys legs and an axe stuck into his protective gear. The boy from Seven smiles at him and rips the axe out of the trainer's chest-plate. My eyes widen as I watch him dust himself off and turn around to face his District partner.

He scratches the back of his head and begins to chuckle as she looks at him shocked and rushes over towards the trainer and starts speaking. I let out a deep sigh and start thinking of myself doing things like that. I like the axe as a weapon, but I can't use it like that guy. That's just crazy.

Walking over to the rack filled with different shaped axes, I turn my head to the sound of a mace flying through the air and scratching the boy from Three in the face. He lets out a painful scream and drops to the floor as his left cheek is sliced open. He holds it and presses his arms against the pressure, using his other hand to flick off the boy from Two, who threw the mace.

I shake my head and walk towards the combat station. There's a line full of people there. The last two people—Julio and Lark, I think—are around my age and speaking to one another. They start laughing and making jokes or something like that. I try to ignore them and look ahead to see who's training right now.

The both of them look back up and see that the line isn't moving at all, so they walk away and grab their own weapons and start practicing individually. Looks like the first alliance of the games besides the careers. Speaking of the careers, I wonder what they're doing, besides the boy from Two who is throwing sharp weapons at the other tributes.

Isha, the girl from Two, is practicing with archery. I watch as she pulls back her arrow and lets releases it right in front of a trainer. The arrow hits bulls-eye and she's told to shoot another one. She pulls this one back and this arrow pierces through the first arrow and hits bulls-eye again. Are you kidding me? These are the types of tributes who died first?!

Well, I can't say much. I don't know how I would do in my games if I didn't step off of my platform too early. At least I know that Challie won her games. If I heard that she was killed in the games, and I was brought back to life just to die again, I don't know what the hell I'd do. Probably go mad or something like that.

''Yeah,'' I hear, looking up to see the girl from Three speaking to the trainer. Oh, crap, the line was moving quicker than I thought. I was just so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize we moved up. ''I think with some combat help, I can get far.''

Her comment makes me smirk. I let out a light chuckle that makes her and the trainer look back. ''Is something funny?'' she asks. I start to laugh even louder than I did before she turned back and looked at me with fierce eyes. Her? A small girl like that thinks that with a little bit of combat training that she can go far?

''Yeah!'' I laugh. ''You're totally making it far in the games!'' She looks at me with angered eyes as I said that in a sarcastic tone, the trainer shakes his head at me, and I just continue to laugh. I can't help it, but someone like her making it far in the games isn't something that I see happening. If she does make it far, then congrats to her, but she won't win the them. That's an obvious conclusion to make.

Turning back around, she rolls her eyes and starts fighting with the trainer. He swings his arm straight at her face as she jumps back and ducks his left hook. I ponder over the fact that she might have a bit of spirit in her, but I know damn well that she won't go far. I doubt it, though. She's most likely putting on a tough act to make herself known not to mess with, but honestly, a tribute like her won't get past the bloodbath.

The trainer attacks her unexpectedly with his left leg and it hits her right in the cheek. She falls to the floor, holding it as the trainer shouts at her. ''GET UP! Are you just gonna lie there on the floor when a tribute does that to you?! Are you gonna let him get the opportunity of stabbing you while you're on the floor?!''

''Yes,'' I answer abruptly, not even knowing that my mouth was open. I thought I said it quietly, but the both of them turn around and look straight at me. I scratch the back of my head and chuckle as the girl quickly gets up and lands a punch on the trainer.

He gets up, looking shocked, and smiles at her. He nods his head in approval and continues sparring with her. This is just taking forever. I'm quite tired of waiting, although I'm not an impatient person, and just want it to be my turn already. I want to know what I need to work on, because last time, I obviously didn't do a good enough job. In fact, I killed myself just so that my sister could live, but I shouldn't of done that.

Now that I think about it, how is jumping off of my pedestal going to help my sister survive? I should've protected her throughout the games, but I guess it was good that I did kill myself, especially since she won the games. Maybe the anger drove her through it, or maybe it was just the adrenaline that she got after my death. Maybe killing the other tributes was her way of getting rid of that anger.

I slowly untie my right boot and slip my foot out of it, my socks touching the slippery floor and almost making me fall on the back of my head. I catch myself and start to coordinate where I want to throw the shoe. I probably should keep it, since it does hold grip on this floor, but they honestly need to hurry up. There's tons of others here and I don't want to wait much longer.

I throw my foot straight at the trainer and it hits him in the face. The girl turns around to look at me and I throw my other boot at her, hitting her straight in the face. She's pushed back a bit by the shock of it all, then stands there quietly, staring straight at me. I give her a charming smile while the trainer starts rubbing his temples.

I begin to chuckle out loud until he grabs me by the collar of my shirt and swings his arm. I dodge right, then I duck his second punch. After that, he goes for a leg sweep that I jump over. All that fighting at school has really helped me out. I mean, when people talk about your sis-

A fist lands straight into my cheek, making my teeth bite straight down on my tongue. It hurts, it hurts like hell! My tongue is burning like crazy and I can taste my own blood! Agh! The feeling of it makes me want to get up and shove a knife into his throat, but I just can't! I'm covering my hands over my mouth just to calm the pain but it only seems to make it worse! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! The burning pain feels as if someone just lit a match inside of my mouth!

I start twitching on the floor and rolling left and right as I hold onto my cheek. As I open up my mouth, a waterfall of blood just pours out. I turn to see the trainer smiling at me, his fist all bloodied and bruised from the impact of his fist and my cheek. The collision hurt both of us, but he got the better end of it!

Fuck, fuck, fuck! It hurts like crazy! I finally manage to get up and when I do, another fist comes flying straight into my revealed face, hitting me in between my nose and lips. My nose lets out a fountain of blood while I felt multiple teeth crack from the fist. It's too much! The pain is too much for me to handle!

I start coughing more and more, and eventually begin to choke on my blood. The trainer slowly walks over to me and picks me up. ''Is this how you're gonna go down? You're just gonna let someone injure you and then sprawl on the floor like a child until they finally end you?! Is that how you're going out?!''

I look straight up at him, tears that I can't hold back forming in my eyes. I'm not even trying to cry and yet they keep on building up. He notices this and starts smiling. ''Are you crying?'' he asks, smiling deviously at me. ''Hey, look everybody. Your fellow tribute is over here crying!''

I turn my head to see tributes all chuckling at me, even the two boys from Nine and Ten are laughing. I can't have him making a fool out of me. Who does this guy think he is?! You just don't do that to someone, no matter how much they anger you! Just thinking about this makes my blood boil! I clench my fists, looking for something to prank him with and slam onto his head but nothing is there for me to use. My boots are both at least twenty feet away from me and I can't reach them.

''You call yourself a Victors brother?'' he knows. He knows that I'm related to Challie. ''I guess cockiness runs in the family, since that's the same way that your pitiful sister, known as a Victor, acted-''

I don't let him finish that sentence by punching him straight in the face. Nobody, and I mean nobody talks about Challie like that! Nobody calls my sister pitiful, nobody makes fun of my sister, and nobody compares my sister to something so irrelevant!

I run straight at him, swinging left and right as my fists make contact with his armor. How disrespectful! This is the reason why I always got into fights at school; stupid idiots like him talk about my sister and criticize her! My fist pounds against his chest-plate over and over again.

He backs up, but I just continue to pressure him even more. My fist flying into his temple and knocking him down on the floor. I start huffing harder and harder as the seconds go by. ''Get up!'' I shout as he looks up at me. I stomp my foot down and attack him on the chest repeatedly. He coughs something up, my foot breaking the armor that lies on his chest.

I continue to attack, harder and harder as he tries to get up. He finally gets a hold of my foot and pulls me closer, bringing my body weight down and slamming my head on the floor. There's just more pain being added to my body, and dealing with it hurts. The only thing keeping me from giving up is the rush that I get when he talks about my sister like that.

''Come on,'' he sighs. ''You're a Victors sibling and all you can do is that? Since your sister won, I would've guessed that you both trained together or something, but looks like she was the smarter one. She didn't even shed a tear when they played your picture in the night sky. Get it through your thick skull, that Challie doesn't give a damn about you!''

I let out an agonizing scream, my mouth being widened by how much I'm stretching it. I couldn't help it, he angered me so much. I can't help myself. Everything that I do now is because of him. It's not my fault what happens now.

''Do you honestly think that-''

''SHUT THE FUCK UP!'' I interrupt him, drawing the attention of all the other tributes. They all stare at me as I quickly get up and hit a running knee to the unsuspecting trainer. He falls to the floor, mouth bloodied and quietly staring at me.

I jump up from my spot and land my knee straight onto his stomach, ultimately breaking the chest-plate that he was wearing. He groans in pain, my fist hammering down on his face over and over again. I can't hold myself back after he talked about Challie like that. The things that he said, everything that he's brought up.

I just can't stop myself. If anything, I'd have to be pulled off of him. I can feel my skin ripping as I punch his mouth over and over. His teeth are biting into my knuckles, ripping the flesh off of them and making me bleed even more than I already have been. My outfit stained, my body cramped, my mind blank, my blood boiled, my actions furious.

I land one last hit before an arm grabs mine and pulls me off of the trainer. The trainer, all bloodied up in the face, peaks up at me and smiles. He holds up his thumb and claps for me before fainting on the floor. I can't help but continue to huff and puff as it becomes more difficult for me to breathe.

I look up to see two trainers staring down at me. I'm finally able to calm down and see my mentor running towards me. Caner grabs onto my arm and drags me across the room. We stand further away from everyone else who's training and he looks at me, his arms on his hips and a mean look.

''What the hell was that?!'' he shouts, slapping me in the head. He's been doing this for a while, continuing to hit me. I've fought back at times, but there's a point where it's too much and he needs to stop! ''Are you crazy?! Fighting and beating up a trainer? Do you know what that can get you in the games?!''

''Sponsors?'' I ask sarcastically. I feel another blow hit me on the head and I begin to grow angry again. Caner continues doing this until I finally grab his arm and push it down to the floor. I turn around and begin to walk until he grabs my arm, making me react naturally and slapping him with my backhand.

I leave the Training Center and walk towards a water fountain. I push the button and drench my face in the water that cleans up the dust. I hear the doors open up from behind me and out walks Lark and Julio. My mind tells me to keep drinking, but my body tells me to turn around and talk to the two. Although I have no idea what they would possibly want.

''Hey,'' I hear one of them say. I turn around to see Julio rubbing his hand against his dark, wavy brown hair. ''We saw what you did back there and think that you're definitely a threat during these games.'' I look straight at him, both of our gazes locked on each other.

I turn my head and see Lark just smiling. I guess he's shy and doesn't like speaking much, huh? I look at Julio who's contemplating over something. He's thinking long and hard about what he's about to do and then he does it. He walks right in front of me, moves me aside and takes a sip of the water. I don't know if this is some sign that he's coming after me in the arena or what, but I don't want to know.

''So, I was thinking,'' he says as he wipes the water off of his mouth. ''That you should join and alliance with Lark and I. What do you say?'' He looks at me straight in the eyes, a serious expression on his face. I can tell that he isn't joking, but he wants something. He wants me to join his alliance and he'll try anything to get me into it.

I think about it for a little. I do need allies to watch my back, and I was planning on it when Caner and Alexias asked Anaya and I on the train ride here. People around my age wouldn't be too bad, plus we'd get along pretty well. Well, I hope so, at least. If not, looks like one of us will just have to die, unfortunately. As long as it's not me, I'm fine by it.

I nod my head. ''Sure, I'll join your alliance.'' That's all I say before turning around and walking back into the Training Center. I can hear the heels of their boots following after me. As soon as I place my feet on the floor, I slide and fall on my back. It starts to ache and hurts a bit, but I can somehow manage the pain.

I crawl back to the area where I was training and see my boots placed adjacent to each other on the floor. I was sure that someone would've tried to throw them away or something, but I guess it's a sign of respect. Maybe. I don't know, but I guess I've made myself known since many of the other tributes start to stare at me.

I place my boots back on and tie them tightly. My hands are still stained with the blood of the trainer, but I can manage with it on. Although, it's pretty disgusting and I would rather not have it on, but I can live with it. I would wash it off, but don't see a restroom anywhere near, but I'm probably not looking hard enough.

It doesn't matter. I need to just start learning how to use a weapon. Walking around and studying other tributes, I finally found a weird shaped axe that I want to settle down on and kill tributes with.

I like it.

* * *

 **Zahra, 16;**

 **District Nine Female**

That was interesting. I never expected a District Six tribute to be so fierce. I guess not everyone from Six is a drug addict and bloodbath, unlike me, sadly. Scratch the drug addict part. Why did they bring me back to these games? There was no point in doing so, to be honest. I'm just gonna die again, even if I try!

Well, there it is again, my negative thinking. I just can't help it. Maybe it's because of how I grew up. Just remembering the past hurts. It seems like just yesterday that Ashli and I were separated in the orphanage back in Nine.

We would always go on adventures with each other and pretend that we were brave adventurers at times, but when she left, my whole entire World came crumbling down. After she was adopted to a family by the last name of ''Lindell,'' she forgot all about me. She always cared about what her friends thought about her, and what they would say if they saw her hanging out with the twin who wasn't adopted.

We would always see each other at school and on the streets at times, but Ashli and I just drifted apart ever since she made it to the popular crowd. She cared more about her appearances than me, and that's what really made us disappear from each other. I didn't even think that she still remembered me until she visited me in the Justice Building.

She dressed up all fancy and walked in a weird way. She closed the door slowly and quietly as she turned to see who was watching her. After that, she ran over to me in high heels and hugged me. She was still the same Ashli as before; caring about her appearance and what others thought of her.

It was sad knowing that my sister still didn't get out of that habit of hers. She was so self-conscious and she was way different than the Ashli that I knew back when we were still sisters. She hugged me, kissed my forehead and even told me how much she missed me. I doubt it was all true, though. She still seemed to be in the popular crowd, even as an adult, and that type of stuff is usually for kids.

At least Jonathan and Hazel were the same. It's funny to have seen how they all grew up without me. I remember the first time I met Hazel. We were both twelve-years-old at our first reaping, and when the female name was called to represent District Nine, we both locked hands together and smiled without even telling the other to do so.

Jonathan has always been a great friend. Ever since we were six, we've known each other. Our bond was always close and we never really bothered each other. Well, besides the fact that he was always an inch taller than me. He was always the friendly type to get to know everyone.

Meeting those two again made me feel so happy. I blushed so much seeing the both of them together. At least they ended up having a happy life. I couldn't help but smile and run up to the both of them and hug the life out of them both. It was just great to see them, but knowing that I was brought back just to die again really hurt.

The only person from my earlier life that I didn't see was Thorn. I have no idea what happened to him. Last thing I remembered about him was that he was thirteen and usually bullied. I just hope that he turned out alright. I actually miss that kid.

Well, it's good to know that they're all still alive and well. It's been thirty-five years since I died. The way I went out was just...it was terrible! I thought I had a real ally with the girl from Ten until she pushed me towards the boy from Four, who repeatedly punched me in the face and stabbed my stomach.

I can still imagine the pain, and it hurt! It really, really hurt. I'm getting shivers just thinking about how many times that knife went in and out of my stomach, my blood shooting up into the air, my screams echoing through the cornucopia as the other tributes all just stood there and watched me die. Well, it is the Hunger Games, after all, and tributes like him were trained to kill.

I patiently wait in line as a couple of tributes are taking a survival test. I hear footsteps approaching me and then I see the little girl from District Ten jogging towards me. She climbs up the stairs to reach the area where I am and then stands still, right behind me. I smile at her and wave. She returns it.

I feel a tap on my shoulder so I decide to turn around and face the District Ten girl. ''Hey,'' she says in a sweet tone, her eyes saying something totally different. It's almost as if she's judging me without saying a word. I wave and quietly turn back around. ''Do you want to be allies?''

''Yes!'' I shout, not understanding what I just said. She looks ecstatic, looking up at me with her eyes sparkling in the dim light. ''No! I mean, no thanks. I don't think that I can afford to have allies this time around. Especially not after last time.''

She looks at me with sad eyes, but I just can't accept her offer. I hear two more footsteps approaching and I turn around to see the girl from Six and the girl from One approaching the both of us. Ten turns around and watches as they both approach. I wonder how that felt for her, when I denied her offer. I feel terrible now, but I know that I won't be betrayed this time around.

''Hello!'' the Ten girl says in the same tone that she used on me. I turn around to see her talking to the District Six girl, and they both seem to be getting along pretty well. They both continue laughing and smiling at each other. I guess they're a good pair of friends. ''So, do you want to be allies?''

The girl from Six ponders over it until the girl from One interrupts. ''Let me join in on your alliance,'' she says, butting in. I turn my head even further back, the expression on everyone's face is absolutely priceless. We all place our hands on our hips and stare at her as if she's crazy. I quickly change my expression and smile at her, trying to look optimistic for her because she might get allies. But doesn't she already have allies?

''What about the careers?'' Ten asks abruptly. ''Aren't they your allies?'' She looks straight at One and grits her teeth, but quickly switches her expression into a smile, just like I did. Oh, she's smart. I don't know who she is or how she strategizes, but she's good.

''Look,'' One sighs. ''I know that you think of me as a bloodthirsty career, but honestly, I'm trying to help out the outer Districts, and I want to ally with you guys. Sure, I'll still be with the careers, but just to gain insight and learn their strengths and weaknesses.''

Ten shakes her head. ''No, you're lying, aren't you?'' I don't blame her for thinking that, because I would think that, too, if I was looking forward to an alliance. I don't want to get into their business, so I just turn around and stare forward as I watch the girl from Five continue her test.

''I'm not lying, I swear!'' One shouts. ''How can I prove it to you?'' I'm not sure what's going on, but not joining the alliance when I had my chance could get the girl from Ten to ask her to take me out. I don't want that to happen, but I also don't want to join an alliance, and I won't.

''Go fight one of your career allies,'' Ten says. I hear a scoff from the District One girl and a gasp from the Six girl. ''If you really mean what you say, you'll go ahead and start a fight with them.''

''I'm not gonna do that,'' says One. ''There's no point in doing something so-''

''The girl from Four is mocking you,'' Ten interrupts. ''Turn around and look. She's pointing at you and speaking about you with the two from Two and the boy from One. They're all staring at you and seem worried. Even the boy from Four is staring because he realizes that she's onto you. Go confront her and prove you're actually with us.''

I turn around to see the girl from Four laughing and smiling. One puts on an angry expression and walks over towards her career allies. She reaches her allies and pushes the girl from Four aside. She hugs the boy from Two and then blows kisses at the boys from One and Four.

The boy from Three, who's behind us all, notices this and starts smiling. One starts talking to the girl from Four and it looks like it's turning into a heated argument. One pushes Four towards the weapon racks and continues with an angry look on her face. She's yelling out obscenities that you can hear from here and now it seems to be a fight.

The girl from Four gets picked up by the collar of her outfit, while the trainers are running towards the two careers to break up the fight, but not before she's thrown into a rack full of spears, swords, and axes. She falls on the floor, face first and groans. One starts sassing her and pushes the trainers off of her as she walks back over here, while blowing kisses to every boy in the Training Center besides the one from Three.

Once she finally arrives, Ten starts dancing slowly. ''I'm Parvati,'' says One as she comes back, holding out her hand for a handshake. ''And you guys are?''

I turn my head around and try to ignore their conversation. ''I'm Mickaela and that is...?'' she drifts off, not knowing the name of the other girl right in front of her. I can hear the calm breathing of the two girls as they wait for the girl from Six to answer their question.

''I'm Anaya!'' she says proudly. ''So, allies?'' she asks. I don't know whether or not the answer was yes, but I can hear hands high-five together, so I guess the answer was yes. I hear motions again and clothes flapping against skin, when I turn around to see the girl from Ten- I mean, Mickaela, dancing.

''The dance that you're doing is dumb, how they do it where you're from,'' Parvati says as she stares at Mickaela, sticking out her tongue. ''Stickin' out your tongue, girl, but you know you're too young. A bunch of girls do it and that shit looks fun. That's how they do it where you're from?''

Mickaela and Parvati both start to laugh as Anaya stands there looking unaware. I guess she doesn't understand what they were talking about. ''This is how they do it where I'm from,'' says Parvati as she starts blowing kisses and waving at everyone looking up at us all. Wow, that girl really knows how to draw people in.

Why does she have it all so easy, though? Why can't I have it easy like that? People meet her for two minutes and they already like her, yet it took me years to find someone to like me? My face turns red with the anger that's building up inside of me, but it quickly fades away as quick as it built up.

The girl from Five finishes up her test and gets a score of ninety-five percent. She missed only a handful of questions, but they seemed to require a lot of thinking. In front of me is the last person before I get my chance to take this test. The boy from Eleven starts working on the test, while I try to mind my own business.

''Ladies,'' I hear a familiar voice call out. We all turn around to see Carter walking towards us. ''Come here, girls, I know you want this. I mean, the rich boy from Three who's gonna win these games is the most liked person here, right?''

I roll my eyes, trying my hardest not to be negative, but positive for him because he's rich. I really don't care about his history, since he's one of the most rude people in these games this year, and I honestly couldn't care less about him. I'm usually not one to say things like this, but Carter is in a whole different subject where I can let everything out and stop hiding.

''Parv, baby,'' he laughs, touching her on the shoulder and leaning against her. ''How come you flirt with every guy in this damn Center besides me? I mean, what do Hero, Asyrin, and Orion have that I don't?''

''They're actually likeable,'' she says without thinking. ''You, my... little bitch, are nothing more than a pain in the ass. Hell, I'd flirt with every girl going into the arena in the games this year rather than flirt with you.''

''Why, baby?'' he asks abruptly. ''Don't you know that I have a larger package than all of them? If you're not going for me just because of age, well I'm here to tell you that age is nothing but a number, sweetie.''

''Don't call me that, please.'' she replies instantly. Parvati really doesn't seem to be into this guy. I wouldn't be either, he's just so annoying. I honestly can't stand him, but I won't say anything negative, because I'm trying to remain as positive as I can. ''And I honestly doubt that.''

''Wanna see?!'' he asks and just does before anyone can answer. Parvati tries to answer but she's cut off my Carter taking his pants off and standing there with nothing but his shirt on. My eyes narrow down and I just close them, not wanting to continue seeing what I just saw. ''It's eight inches, sweetheart!''

Mickaela practically faints, and Anaya just squeals and closes her eyes. God, this guy is such a jerk! I honestly hate him so much. ''That's more like eight centimeters, sweetie.'' Parvati begins to laugh as Carter stands there breathing roughly. ''You used the wrong side of the ruler.''

''No, girl,'' Carter starts moving closer towards her. ''You don't understand, babe. It was inches, but you know what, you're inexperienced, so I can't blame you for thinking that. And you seem to have a problem, so I'll let you have your t-''

He gets slapped straight in the face and falls off of the area that we were in. He looks up, his pants still up here where we were and begins to blow kisses at Parvati. ''Baby, I just wanna have your body. And if you can take deep, then let me get at it.''

''Stop.''

''I'll lay you down and go down, girl, 'til I reach your ocean. Oh, so come and get this dick!'' Carter shouts. I completely ignore his words and sigh as I face palm, shaking my head as I do. I turn to see Parvati shaking her head as she stares straight at him, her eyes narrowed right into his gaze, with an angry expression on her face.

''When you need that fix, that medicine, I know you like it like this,'' he says humping the floor, looking back up at her and blowing more kisses. ''When you get that itch, adrenaline, with your heart beatin' outta your chest! And when that pressure's building, I got what you need, come fuck with me. And when you get that feeling.''

''God dammit, shut up!'' Parvati growls at him. ''I don't want your fix or your medicine. Just stop, kid, you're not important. I don't need your thing down there, and there's nothing that I want to do with you.''

''I got sexual healing,'' Carter ignores her words and continues to pretend to hump Parvati. Parvati doesn't stand it and jumps down from the area that we were in and all I hear from then on are thuds and pounding against someones head. I hear her yelling at Carter and slamming his head into multiple objects. Like the boy from Six, she's pulled away from him and she starts breathing roughly.

I watch as she dusts herself off and begins skipping back towards the careers, blowing kisses at everyone in the Training Center besides Carter. Everyone stares at the child bleeding on the floor from his head, with a bloodied nose and a cut on his forehead.

A beeping noise goes off and I turn around to see the boy from Eleven exiting this section. His test score was a thirty percent, unlike the girl from Five who basically destroyed the test. I step up and ask the trainer to start it.

First question: You're on your pedestal and the countdown hits zero. You're an outer District tribute and you run straight in, grabbing two bags and a small pocket knife that you can use to protect yourself. Do you:

Jump straight into the action like a career and start killing.

Run away from the cornucopia and try to get as much distance away from it as possible.

Look around for your allies, but watch your back to see if anyone's chasing after you.

Throw your knife at a random tribute, get a kill, and celebrate as a career slowly approaches

That's easy, the second one, obviously. ''Wrong answer, bitch!'' I hear. I turn my head around but nobody here said anything. I look down to see Carter flicking me off. ''It's the first one, obviously!'' Oh, man, this is gonna be a long Hunger Games.

Question number two: After surviving the cornucopia bloodbath, you see two allies walking around. They both are laughing and agreeing on everything that the other says. One of them spots you and points you out to the other one who begins to chase you. Do you:

Stay still and let them kill you.

Kill the first one and chase after the other one.

Run away and try to lose them.

Run away and hide in a bush to try to avoid them.

This one is either the third or fourth one for me. I guess I'll go with the last one. I mean, I'm not gonna be able to run forever, so this seems like the more realisti-

''WRONG!'' it's Carter again. ''It's the second one! Dumbass!''

Yup, these games are gonna take a while. Oh, man, I'm gonna hate being around this guy. Hopefully I won't have to see much more of him, because I don't know if I can deal with it. At least I know that I'm not on any bodies kill-list as of now. It's a good thing.

It just sucks that I'm back here. I didn't want to return, but I was forced to...

* * *

 **A/N: So, heyy! I couldn't help myself, but I just had to write this chapter. I finished studying and all that crap, but there are still four exams left, so yeah. It was the weekend, so I wanted to write this out and get this up for you guys. I didn't want to go on a short hiatus after the chariot rides, because I didn't think that would be very fun, so I decided to give you all the first day of training. I hope that you guys liked it, because I enjoyed writing this out.  
**

 **I kinda feel bad for Carter, just a little bit. Poor little boy. He does deserve it, but I still feel kinda guilty doing this to him. Oh, poor boy. Sucks that he gets hurt all the time. First it was Jianna, then Orion, then Asyrin, now Parvati. Maybe I should just let everyone get a crack at Carter. That'd be interesting, in my opinion, because I'm biased!**

 **Did you guys like the fight scene with Challis? I want your guys' opinion on that, because I don't know if you enjoy them like that or not. I felt as though it soothed him because of his form and I really enjoyed writing that out. He kinda reminds me of Alan. James, Caleb, Brooke, Haley, you guys understand this. :'( R.I.P. Bro.**

 **Oh! If anyone can guess the two songs in Zahra's POV, one line by Parvati and two by Carter, I'll give whoever figured it out a thousand sponsor points. Type in the sentences that you guys thought where lyrics in Google, because I really want to just hand you all sponsor points, especially with these question that are easy. Well, I find them easy. ;)**

 **Brooke, keep that ass shut, bruh. You already know the answer to these questions. Well, that's all that I have to say for today. Not much more to explain besides the fact that I might as well tell you all that I have a full list of your tributes' deaths. Believe me, though, it most likely won't stay the same after the bloodbath. I'll put up two or three more polls for this story after the bloodbath, so you can continue to vote for your favorites to still live. Also, sorry, I barely proof read this chapter because I just didn't care. I just wanted to get it up, so sorry if some sentences make absolutely no sense and if there's a hella tons of spelling errors. My bad... Besides that, here are the questions for today's chapter.**

* * *

 **Did you guys like the fight with Challis and the trainer?**

 **What would you do if your ally slapped a bowl of cereal that you were eating off of the table and tried to kill you on the elevator?**

 **What would you do if Carter stripped naked in front of you and started singing about sexually healing you in bed? Lmfao**

 **You're planning on ditching your career allies and join outer Districts, but the person who made the alliance tells you to attack one of your career allies. Do you do it?**

 **You're thrown into a rack of sharp weapons and your back is all scratched up, which could probably be fatal during the games. Do you get back at the person who did it to you?**

* * *

 **That's all for today, guys! Thanks for reading. Hope you all liked the chapter, and yeah, I'm most likely lying to you guys when I say that I'll stop updating, because I most likely will continue, even when I need to study. Idk, but sorry for the false information. Anyways, see you all next chapter! Bye! ^-^**


	13. It's Worth A Try, Isn't It?

**Training Day Two:**

* * *

 **Eudora Bayard, 17;**

 **District Seven Female**

Trying to use an axe just isn't worth it. I'm not able to use it properly and every time that I miss a swing or do something idiotic, Chantell yells at me. It's not my fault that an axe is either too heavy or just doesn't fit my strong suit. Sure, I'm from Seven, well, initially from Nine, but ever since dad got a job offer alongside the President in Seven, we moved, but that doesn't mean that I'm automatically like their lumberjack tributes.

Moving to Seven was kind of different for me. I never stood out back in Nine, but in Seven, people actually started noticing me. Even the boys, if I might add. But, of course, that meant that I had to spend some time with the President's daughter. She was very controlling and I remember everyone being scared of her. She would ruin anyone's life and abused that power of her being the President's daughter.

It was actually quite fun in Seven. It was nothing like Nine at all. Nine was just a place where I was an outcast and nobody ever really saw me. I guess I just didn't fit in, but when I got to Seven, all of that changed. Moving to Seven was one of the best things to happen to my family and I. Sucks that I died and now I'm back. I promise this time I won't die as pathetically as I did last time. Maybe I can even win!

As I try to swing the axe again, Chantell just continues to yell at me. ''You're doing it wrong! Pick it up with two hands! Control where you swing! Don't let the axe dictate where you move, you control it! COME ON, EUDORA!''

I turn around and face Chantell. Dropping the axe, I smack my foot against it and push it across the room where Orion walks up with Relmo and picks it up. He smiles at us and holds the axe like he's professional with it. From what I've seen him do, I might as well say that he is. I remember on the train rides when we were talking to each other he told me about him moving from Four to Seven. I guess that's why he's so good, but that doesn't explain the nice personality. I would think that he would be vindictive and very irritated.

''Come on, Eudora!'' Chantell looks straight at me, her eyes looking deep into my soul. She's angry and I feel as though any moment now she'll hit me. She grabs the axe from Orion's hand and starts swinging at Relmo, who dodges the attacks perfectly. ''Why can't you do it like this?!''

She continues swinging one handed, then two handed, and then all sorts of combos that look extremely difficult to carry out. Relmo holds up the axe with one hand and flips it out of her hand. He smiles at me, looks towards Orion, and then whispers in his ear. They're all huddled up and talking about something, but I'm left out of the conversation.

''Listen,'' Chantell sighs. She peaks her head up and stares right at me. I have a bad feeling that I know what she's gonna say, and I don't want to do it. I just don't. ''You and Orion are gonna spar, you got that?''

''No!'' I say in an assertive tone, looking at all three of them—Orion, Chantell, and Relmo—back and forth as I turn my head. ''I don't want to get hurt, especially after seeing what Orion did to that trainer yesterday. Orion is obviously trained and prepared, but I'm not. I still need help with my weapon skills and you're pressuring me and forcing me to use a weapon that I can't!''

They all look at me, and for a moment, I think Chantell's about to slap me. Relmo looks at her and sighs. ''So, what can you use?'' he asks. If only he was my mentor instead of Chantell. Orion definitely got the better mentor. At least he's calm and doesn't scream at me for making mistakes. ''How about we try out a sickle?''

He hands me a sickle. It's smooth and soft against my hand, but holding it is difficult for me. Chantell gives me the signal to start attacking, so I go ahead and try. She tells me to come straight at her and that's exactly what I do. Running straight towards her, I swing the sickle towards her. My aim is terrible with this weapon; that allows her to dodge swiftly and easily.

It's like I'm a madman, swinging anywhere that I see fit. This just isn't my weapon, and knowing this, I know that I won't be going for it during the bloodbath. I just need a small weapon to use. A knife! Something like that would work perfectly with me, but my mentor won't let me choose my own weapon. Maybe they're not her strong suit, but not everyone agrees with her choice of weapon.

Giving it one more effort, I continue running at Chantell. Through the corner of my eye, I see Orion and Relmo standing, both crossing their arms. I think I finally have the chance of using this weapon, but as soon as I raise it the weight starts to carry on my shoulders and I drop it. Chantell uses this to her advantage and elbows me in the stomach, making me fall on my knees and lying on the ground. She picks up the sickle and puts the handle of it pressed against my temple.

''Come on, kid! Why are you doing this to yourself?'' she asks. Her voice just got deep for a second and she's staring right at me with her pupils shrinking as she continues to ridicule me. I bite my bottom lip and close my eyes as I breath slowly and relax. ''I know that you can do it, but you're just not trying hard enough! Why won't you try?!''

''I am trying,'' I answer her, my tone calm and soft. I don't want to give her attitude or anything, and I won't. I know that she's trying to help me, but she needs to listen to what I have to say. If I can't use something as large as an axe or a sickle, a knife or a dagger is what suits me much better. ''I obviously can't use an axe or a sickle. Please, just let me choose my own weapon and I'll show you how much better I can do.''

Everyone turns their heads to one another. I hear chuckling in the background and I lift my head up to see Orion smiling at me. We look right at each other for a brief moment until he walks over to Chantell and opens up his mouth. ''Come on! Let the girl choose her own weapon. It would be better for us all, and you could learn to teach something different that might benefit your future tributes.''

She finally comes to her senses and lets me get up and choose my own weapon. I walk around the Training Center, looking at all the other tributes practicing for the games that are shortly coming up. I walk over towards the knives and daggers rack.

The boy from One stands there leaning against the racks. He catches my eye and sees me coming over there so he tosses two daggers towards me. I jump back a little, catching one in my hand and the other one falling on the ground. He lets out a light chuckle as he waits for a screen pop up, telling him to start his practice.

A red light appears over multiple figures, which draws my attention into what's going on. One starts throwing knives like it's nothing, hitting the figures right in the heart every time. He throws two knives at the same time at one figure; one of them hitting the heart, the other one hitting the throat. I watch, eyes widened and mouth gaped as he continues to flick his wrist like it's nothing.

He messes up once out of fifty times and that was when he hit the chest instead of the heart. After the practice is over, he looks back at me and smiles. Multiple knives come flying towards me but none of them hit me. They all land right next to my feet and surround me, making a circle somehow. This guy...

''Hey,'' he says smiling. The look on his face seems like he's a fun and loving guy, but I don't know if you can ever trust a career. He could be playing all friendly with me now, but when we enter that arena, I could be his first target. I relax myself and breathe. There's nothing to be intimidated from. ''I'm Hero.''

''Eudora,'' I say unwillingly. That just came out of my mouth randomly. I never meant to tell him my name. Maybe he's just-

''Whoa!'' I yell, jumping back from my spot as a knife almost lands in my foot. Hero continues moving towards me and throwing knives all over the place. I continue to back up and eventually just move away from the boy. Staying around would just hurt my well-being.

''Sorry!'' he yells from behind, sending a knife flying past my face. To my surprise, Orion catches the knife thrown by Hero and sends it flying right back. I turn around to see Hero chuckling and winking over towards us, the knife in his hands and only a bit of blood dripping, but he's got it caught perfectly in his hands.

I hold up the two daggers and stare Orion, who stares out our mentors, who stare at each other. They don't even bother to look back towards Orion and I. We just stare back and forth, looking awkwardly as they don't realize that we're both still here. ''Uh-hem!'' I cough, placing my fist over my mouth, finally catching the attention of both our mentors.

''Oh, um, yeah.'' Chantell finally realizes. She scratches the back of her head as she stares at us, trying to remember what she was gonna say. We all stay in the exact same position that we're standing in for quite some time while we wait for Chantell. The noise of metal clashing together makes me turn around.

I watch as the boy from Two swings a mace at his mentor's head, almost hitting him and drawing a bit of blood. His mentor swings a machete right at him, and instead of ducking, the boy grabs the machete head-on and rips it out of his mentors hand. Now with two weapons, he attacks swiftly and smoothly, drawing more and more blood as he swings.

His mentor obviously isn't trying, but it's still impressive. It's crazy to see kids being able to just attack and kill without hesitation. It's been going on for years, and even after death it's still here. That's quite shocking, to be honest. I would've expected another rebellion sooner, but maybe it just won't happen. I'm honestly not surprised that the Capitol is still in charge.

''Okay, just go,'' says Chantell in a demanding tone. ''We don't have all day. After you two spar, we're gonna be pushing you past your limits and force you to do much more than what we already taught you. Now go!''

Orion doesn't hesitate a bit and just rushes at me. With an axe poised in his possession, he swings violently and almost recklessly, but it works for him. Just thinking about how he'll interact with others in the arena scares me. It's just how easily he swings and knows what to do. Almost as if he's been doing this for his entire life.

His axe continues to get closer and closer to my face by the second. I'm not sure what to do at this point besides continue to dodge. If I try to go on the offensive attack, he'll most likely be able to slam that axe right into my neck. It's very likely that he knows exactly what I'm going to do. If he's been practicing against experienced people, what do you think he can predict about me?

He brings his axe back and places it behind him. His left hand reaches up to hit me in the face and I have no time to block it, but he just stops and smiles at me. Is he really that nice? He won't even bother to actually attack me. My head turns towards our mentors who tell him to go on, but he doesn't. What is with him? Does he really want to be my ally that badly or is he just acting nice?

I don't understand what's up with Orion; I've never been able to understand him. Clutching the two daggers, I swing one at his neck and the other at his stomach. Looks like he's letting me go on offense this time and him on defense.

My daggers almost hit him until he brings up his axe in abnormal speed, blocking both of my daggers and getting one stuck inside of the axe blade. He rips it out and tosses it right to me. I catch it and start thinking. Orion always knows what I'm going to do, even if I don't say it out loud, which I wouldn't. Let me do something that he wouldn't expect.

I run straight at him and throw one dagger straight towards his head. He smiles at me. ''Too predictable,'' he says. My eyes widen in shock. What the hell?! With quick thinking, I drop to the floor and slide under his legs. He didn't expect that from the look on his face. I quickly use this time to get up and wrap my left arm around his neck, my dagger pressing against it, but barely.

''Good stuff,'' Orion smiles at me. I hear some applause coming from behind me and see our mentors clapping. Somehow, I feel as though Orion wasn't trying. He just stood there and patiently waited for me to do what I was gonna do. Even my mentors probably know this. He definitely wasn't trying, and he let me have this win. I don't know who he is or what training he's done, but this guy's good.

He quickly disarms the daggers from my hand and flips me over his shoulder. I land on my back and stare up at him as he throws them up into the air and smiles. He catches the daggers and then places them right beside my head as he tries to help me get up.

''No,'' I say smiling at him. The smile is fake, though. I don't understand how all of these tributes died first. The careers are better than the ones that were originally in my games. Some of the outer District tributes are amazing at weaponry; and Orion surpasses any other District Seven tribute that I've ever seen in my life.

I just don't get it.

There are way too many threats in these games, and even though I have a strong feeling that I won't make it out of the arena alive this time, I know that I won't go down so pathetic this time. The group of tributes that we have this year are just so different. Some are good, others are bad. Some are just... I don't even know.

Either way, I better watch my back. Some people just can't be trusted.

* * *

 **Lark McGlacen, 17;**

 **District Nine Male**

I bet they're waiting for me right now, but I woke up late because neither of my mentors decided to wake me up. I heard Lilac yelling to herself earlier this morning, but I didn't decide to go downstairs to see what was happening. Although I do care, I was just in a deep sleep. Last night I had an amazing dream that mom was still with me, Zinnia was never abused, and dad was sober all the time. Just thinking about those times back then brings back so many horrible memories.

That day when dad came home and saw mom giving birth. That day when I was the only one in the house with my mom and didn't know what to do. Being the seven-year-old boy that I was, I had no idea what to do. All I did was run around the room, looking scared as I saw my mom push Zinnia out. I almost fainted for Christ's sake.

When dad came home and heard Zinnia crying, saw mom dead on the floor, and me screaming at the top of my lungs, that's when everything came tumbling down. Like my father, neither of my mentors decided to wake me up whenever I needed to. At least they didn't abuse Zinnia, unlike my dad.

He always blamed mom's death on her and I. I just couldn't take it. Especially after that one night when I got home from school, after staying late to finish up a project, and saw dad kicking Zinnia as she lied on the floor. Watching him torture her and just abuse her with so much force made me snap. I didn't understand why.

There was nothing that I could do besides kick him out of the house. I wasn't going to kill him, but having him live on the streets for a week was the only solution that I found fitting enough to a man who did something so cruel. Some drinkers are suicidal, some are abusive, others are hilarious. My father fit in the abusive category, and that's not something that I'm proud of.

Letting out a deep sigh, I jump out of my bed and hurry up. Brushing my teeth, taking a quick shower and then putting on the same pair of training clothes that I wore yesterday. I need to hurry up before we end the day. There are still tons of hours, but-

But I can just take my time and calm down. The Training Center doesn't close until nine at night, and it's only one right now. Man, I sure did sleep in. Maybe I should hurry up. Not all of the stations stay open for long, so I do need to eat and then leave. As I sit down at the table, I see my escort just sitting there and fixing up her nails or something.

She catches my eye and waves kindly at me. I return the wave as I finish up my French toast and run out of the room. I wait for the elevator to go down to the training floor and when it finally does, I rush into the Training Center where I see every tribute doing something productive. Some are learning how to make fires, others are learning what and what not to eat. Then there are some who are just going at each other and barking obscenities.

Glad to know that everyone's getting along well.

I turn my head to see Julio throwing knives at dummies. He's not perfect with them, but he's really good. I jog over towards him and smile as I greet him. Julio continues throwing knives over and over again, but then stops and wipes the sweat from his forehead. After many knives are thrown, he begins to grow frustrated, but I don't know what to say to accompany him.

Julio says nothing and just points towards the right of me. I gulp and just nod my head. I guess he doesn't want anyone near him or bothering him at a time like this. I don't want to make him more angry than he already is, so I'll just go and get some practice. As I'm running towards the axe rack, I spot my mentors talking to Zahra.

Watching as they talk and give her advice makes me think. Why did they leave without me? Why wasn't I woken up by them? I'm just curious as to why they didn't fill me in on this. I guess they woke up early and just didn't have time to be bothered. Maybe they thought she needed it more than me, but I'm not that skilled. That's my problem.

An axe comes hurdling my way and past my face. I continue to stand still, looking straight forward and seeing Challis jogging towards me with a second axe in his hand. He punches my shoulder and smiles at me, telling me to go grab an axe and fight him with it. I kind of shake my head, not wanting to spar with him right now, but he insists that I do.

Once I grab a weird looking axe from one of the racks, Challis runs straight at me. He swings his first axe right at my neck, forcing to do the only logical thing: duck. That was an unexpected move from him. I never expected him to aim for the throat, especially not this early on in the battle. I guess he's the type to go in for the quick kill. At least his victims won't have to suffer through all of this.

He continues to pressure me backwards as his axe hits mine with full force. It's almost as if I can't do anything, but I can. I just have to wait for the perfect moment to make my move, and then it'll be game over from then on. ''Come on! Don't let me do this to you when our alliance splits up!''

''How do you know it's gonna split up?'' I ask, my eyes narrowed down to his axe to see where he's gonna hit next. He doesn't even answer my question before swinging his axe again. What's with this guy? He's so reckless and just jumps into the fight! This just makes it hard for me to attack him myself. I just need to find his blind spot and then go straight at it.

''Well, one of us has to die sooner or later, right?'' Challis asks, his tone strict and angered. ''I don't want it to come down between you and I, so why don't you say we kill Julio?''

 _Don't do it, don't trust him, get away from him!_ My mind begs me to forget all about this guy. But he's in our alliance! But then again, he wants to take out Julio! Why? Julio invited him and I to the alliance, and he's our go-to guy. Why should we take him out if he's such a good guy? It just wouldn't be fair to him. Having him dying and knowing that an ally stabbed him in the back would just be disrespectful.

I can't.

''Come on!'' Challis shouts at me, his axe swinging right at my chest. I jump back to avoid getting scratched and just stare at him. My body is frozen, just because of what he said. Kill our own ally? Challis, what? ''You know he's a threat to us! If we don't take him out soon, he'll kill us as soon as he gets the chance!''

Not knowing what to say, I just charge at him. My axe swings right at his neck, just like he did to me, and then I slowly bring it down towards his chest. He raises up his weapon to block mine, and through the metal clashing, sparks start to fly throughout the Training Center. Everyone turns their eyes towards the two of us and a couple of trainers straight running towards us. They probably think that we're pissed at each other and fighting. The fighting part is true, but pissed? No. Disappointed? Yes.

Our axes just keep colliding and now he seems to be struggling. I'm leaning over him with my axe, pushing his down and he's almost touching the floor with his back. He lets out a light chuckle and a devious smile crosses his face. What's he planning? I-I don't get it. Everyone surrounds us, but no-one does anything besides stare at us.

''You know, you should use your weapon wisely—and sometimes even your fists—before deciding where you're gonna attack. But just don't hesitate, like what you're doing right now.'' he laughs, his tone all devious and junk. Sometimes he just freaks me out, and I've only known him for a day and a half. ''Come on, Lark! Why won't you talk?!''

His unsuspecting fist flies into my stomach, twisting it in and out. I feel like throwing up until he brings his elbows down onto my back. My axe drops from my right hand and all I hear is mumbling and Challis groaning as he continues to hit me. I thought this was just a regular spar, not a full on fight. He's taking this way too far.

My vision starts to blur a little when a knee hits my nose; and it draws blood, spilling on the ground. He picks my head up by my chin as he kneels on the floor and stares at me. ''Come on,'' he whispers in my ear. ''If you don't help me take out Julio, either he'll kill you or I'll kill you.''

My eyes widen at his comment. I-Is he serious? What's with him?! He wasn't like this yesterday when we all got along perfectly. We turned into such good friends in a matter of minutes, and now he's threatening to kill me if I don't agree to take out Julio! This just isn't right. It can't be right. Anything that has to do with back-stabbing isn't right, or called for.

My fist flies up and hits Challis in the mouth, sending him back a couple of feet. I quickly pick up my axe and slam it against his as he tries to pick it up from the floor. My left leg comes flying up and hits him across the cheek, making him stumble back a little and landing on his back. I kick his axe towards him, trying to give him a fair match, but he honestly doesn't deserve a fair fight if he's planning on killing Julio.

He picks up his axe and quickly gets up. My left fist hits him in the face as soon as he's on his two feet. He coughs a little bit, and I feel bad doing this because he went through the same thing yesterday. This guy just loves fighting, doesn't he? He just can't control himself from getting into them.

He finally catches himself and wipes the blood off of his upper lip. I chuck my axe straight at him. Swirling through the air, it spins across his cheek and cuts a scratch to his ear. He stands there looking stiff and scared, reaching his arm up to touch the scratch. As soon as he does, he lets out a cry of pain and anger.

I run straight at him and send my fist flying into his mouth. He falls to the floor, holding onto his jaw and almost starts tearing up. I sigh heavily and pant a little as people surround me and start cheering me on, and pushing me to the side. It's almost like I've actually won the games or something. I'm getting praise and everyone is just cheering for me.

''You were great!'' says a trainer placing his hand on my shoulder. Others are complimenting me, too. A smile crosses my face and I'm glad that they thought I was good, but no. I don't need it. I don't like the crowds of people looking at me and cheering me on. It's just no for me. I don't want the spotlight on me. Please, go back to Challis!

''You did awesome!''

''I never expected something like that out of him.''

''He's pretty damn good!''

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. _They're gonna kill you,_ a thought appears into my mind. _You're a threat. They saw what you did, and now they want to kill you in the arena. Kill a bloody mess out of you. Rip your head off, eat your intestines, chop off your limbs. They want to hurt you now._

NO, NO, NO! This is so stressful! Challis looks up at me with stern eyes and looks me up and down. Is he gonna target me now? Is he gonna break up this alliance at the cornucopia and kill me?! I just have this strange feeling my gut that I'm gonna get hurt. I don't know what it is, but it just doesn't feel right.

''What was that?!'' he asks furiously, slamming his fist down on the ground. He continues to look at me, gritting his teeth. My body starts to tremble and my temperature is decreasing by the second. It's so cold now and I-I don't know what to say. ''When did you know what to do?''

''B-By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity – another person's, I mean.'' my body shakes. A couple of trainers start nodding their heads at me and smile. I hear a couple of them whispering about how I know what I'm talking about and such. Challis just puts on an angry expression, clutching his axe. He slams it into the floor and uses it as support to pick himself up.

He just walks away without saying another word. I feel afraid. Terrified, even. What's going on through his mind at the moment? Is he planning on killing me after all? I don't even feel comfortable in my own skin right now. Still trembling, I look around the circle of people who continue to clap for me.

No. Please, stop. I don't want this praise. It's not for me. I can't take all of this in. This is so stressful! _Kill, kill, kill! That's what they're gonna do to you,_ the thought of that makes me want to rip my hair out of my head. I feel like I'm going crazy!

''What the fuck is he talking about with adversity?'' a familiar voice says. Everyone turns their gaze to the left and we all see the little boy from Three standing there with his arms crossed. ''That was nothing but luck. You obviously had the upper hand because he was distracted, and you ain't shit, either.''

''Tell it to him like it is,'' another voice shouts out. The voice of the ignorant boy from Twelve. ''Carter, be my ally, bitch.''

These two... It's almost as if they were brought back together by destiny. They're both ignorant, annoying, selfish little.. I'm calm. I don't like saying things like that, but it's true whenever you talk about the two of them.

''Who are you calling a bitch? Bitch.''

''Just come over here!''

''I'm gonna shove a knife in that guys throat,'' he whispers to himself. Everybody removes their gaze from the two boys and then back at me. An arm touches my shoulder and I look up to see Zane squeezing it and smiling at me. He gives me a thumbs up and tells me how well-known I've made myself.

NO! That's just what I didn't want to do! Make myself known! I don't want to be know by anyone here! They'll all just come after me in the arena, and I don't want them to! I want to go home, not be taken out by a group of tributes or mutts again! That's not what _I_ want! Home is what I want! Life is what I want, not death!

And death always comes during the Hunger Games. Especially when you make yourself known. That's why all the outer District children get targeted by the careers. Even some careers turn their backs on each other and get killed at the bloodbath. I just hope they don't notice me as much as the others. Please, don't. Please, please, please, don't notice.

It's almost as if they all read my mind. I look up, my eyes staring straight at all six of them. One of them gives me an immature smile, the other one stares at me with crazed eyes, one blows a kiss at me, the other rolls his eyes, one girl just doesn't seem like she cares, and the youngest of the group just stands staring at me.

A hand grabs my arm and pulls my frozen body away. I look at Julio, who smiles at me, and I start to stutter. What should I tell him? Should I let him know that Challis intends on killing him? That he intends on killing _us?_ What do I do, what do I do?! _Tell him, tell him, tell him! TELL HIM, NOW!_

''Good job back there,'' he smiles at me. ''Looks like you and Challis are getting to know each other well. Just don't draw too much attention to yourself or else, you know... You'll be attacked in the arena.''

''Julio, I-I,'' I begin to stutter, my body shaking. I'm so cold. I don't feel right! What if Challis overhears what I'm saying? What if Julio doesn't believe me and thinks that I'm trying to split the alliance up? Then he'll come after me in the bloodbath!

 _Just tell him!_ I'm afraid! I'm afraid of what he'll think of me when I tell him about Challis! That's even if I tell him about Challis! No! Suck it up and just tell him. Come on, you can do this. It's not that hard. Just tell him that you don't trust Challis and that he tried to manipulate you into killing Julio. Just. Tell. Him.

''Julio,'' I cough up, my hands are shaking from the pressure that I feel. ''I don't think that we should trust Challis. When him and I were sparring over there, he told me that him and I should—''

''You and me should what?'' Challis's voice echoes through my ears, sending chills down my spine. I begin to shake. Oh, no. Did he hear that whole conversation? Was he just standing there and listening? What will he do when the arena comes? My mind is blank and my body is starting to move involuntarily.

I run out of the Training Center, my body feeling numb. I'll never be able to tell Julio. Never. I just hope nothing bad happens in the arena. Please, please, let us be safe.

* * *

 **Quartz Fields, 16;**

 **District Eleven Male**

After that entire round up with the two from Six and Nine, everyone went back to their training areas. I watch as Brysia and Conly both fight with each other. He's doing his best to help her out, and I think it's actually working. She seems to have the upper hand on him, but then again, he's not trying his hardest. None of the mentors try their hardest when training with the tributes.

Conly catches my eye and smiles at me. He continues swinging his sickle a Brysia, who blocks it perfectly with a dagger. In just a day, she's learned how to properly use a dagger, and she's skilled with it. Isn't it good to see someone from you District doing well? Sure, it is. But the only thing better than seeing them succeed is seeing them draw blood!

The metal from both of their weapons continue to grind against each other. Conly's sickle scratches Brysia's arm just a little, and the smallest drip of blood falls from her biceps. Oh, yes! Blood, there's so little of it, but it's enough to make me grin.

It's enough to make me want to get on the floor and sample it. I just want to see more. More of it would be perfect! Please, please, get more of that beautiful, slippery red liquid from her skin. I just want to see that shiny silver sickle enter her skin once more. Just one more time, for me! For me, please!

Looking at it just makes me so happy. But looking at that blood brings back so many horrible memories. Memories of my dad. Memories of mom! Memories of everything terrible that happened to me when I was still alive. The things that shaped me into the person that I am today.

Dad was always abusive, hitting whoever the hell he wanted without a care in the world. Those are one of the consequences of someone being a heavy alcoholic. Dad just didn't give a damn whenever he hurt others. He would always come home with the blood stains of other people on his shirt. Stabbing them, punching them, hitting their faces on the trees around us.

He would just do whatever he could to hurt someone. Hell, he'd even go as far as torturing a little boy. It was right outside of our home, too. The boy was just walking home from a hard day in the fields when my dad just swooped him up and repeatedly hit the boy, finally knocking him out unconscious.

Even mom was hurt by dad. She was such a sweet and loving person, but whenever my father got his hands on her, it was good as over. I couldn't do anything, because I'd just get knocked out unconscious, just like that other boy.

When you see your mom get a mallet slammed onto her head and she just falls to the floor, not moving, not breathing; and not alive, it really puts a toll on you. Especially when your dad looks up at you, smearing the blood from her head all over the walls, floor, and even on himself.

It's just not right.

You can never go back after you've seen something so disgusting. So I ran way and lived with my grandmother. I've never been able to sleep well ever since. Well, not until I died, of course. But now they reanimated me. I'm brought back to life just to fight in these games again. The only thing that I look forward to in these games is all the blood that comes out of the body of these tributes.

Just imagine it! Sitting on top of a tribute as you repeatedly stab them in various places. You don't have to end it quickly; just slowly outline the edge of their body with the knife, then it'll last lounger, instead of just plunging the knife into their throats. I don't want them to die quickly. I want to see them squirm, suffer, and cry for help!

I'll be excited if I see that. Just thinking about it makes me happy. I want to kill them with my bare hands. Choking them, pinching their nostrils, clawing at their skin. There are so many various ways to kill them. You just gotta think about it. How many ways can you think of to kill another tribute- um, human being with your own too hands?

Let's see here. The ways that I can think of killing someone else with my bare hands are: choking them, shoving my fist down their throat, pinching their nostrils shut and holding down their mouth, stomping on their neck repeatedly, clawing at their skin until they lose too much blood, putting them in a choke hold, putting my fist through their chest, pressure pointing one area of their body for an entire-

''Quartz!'' the sound of Cythrie's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I look up at my mentor and he's yelling at me to run over towards him. I listen to what he tells me and start making my way towards him. We've been practicing with hand-to-hand combat for the past day. He's a great trainer, and fighting with him is just so fun. I just wish that I could draw blood from my mentor.

I stare back at Conly and Brysia, both continuing to fight with weapons. Brysia gets the upper hand on Conly for a quickly moment and slices the dagger across his chest. He chuckles at her, nodding his head and giving her the green light to continue. They both run at each other. Conly jumps over Brysia's dagger while she just looks up into the air with widened eyes.

''Focus, Brysia!'' Conly yells, kicking his foot across her face. She looks back at him, her eyes narrowed to the right. She looks dizzy for a moment and Conly's fooled by her faking. He falls for her little trick and gets a dagger shoved into his protective armor. Conly stumbles back a little and smiles down at Brysia. As he removes the dagger from his chest, he high-fives her and starts to lose focus.

The first thing that he does is walk over to the District Four tributes, where he starts talking to the female Victor. This guy... He starts flirting or something as she chuckles but pushes him away and then the District One Victor goes over there. They both start flirting with her while Brysia is just standing there with her arms crossed. She scoffs as she looks towards Cythrie and I.

I guess her a devious smile and blow into the air. She looks at me surprisingly and starts writing in that small book of hers again. What's so special about that book? What does she put inside of it? Maybe she keeps tabs of others inside of it, but I don't see why she would want to do that. It's weird, and creepy.

After stretching, Cythrie and I start again. He tells me to run straight at him as he holds up a machete. My eyes widen. He clutches the machete tightly and slowly walks towards me. I feel like taking a couple of steps back, but I can't move. Why am I frozen? The posture that he's in just goes to show you how ready he is.

''B-But,'' I stutter. Sweat rolls down the side of my face as Cythrie runs straight at me. He's only about twelve feet away, too! Shit! ''I don't have a weapon!''

''You don't need a weapon, remember?'' he reminds me, swinging his machete right at my chest. If I don't back up now, it'll end up buried in my chest. ''You told me that your weapons are your fists, so show me what you can do with them.''

Brysia stares and continues to write in her book as I dodge the machete. The swinging metal is a scary sight. One hit with that thing and I'll bleed out. Bleeding out wouldn't be too bad, if it weren't my blood. The way he swings it is so accurate. He's almost hit me once, and I'm pretty sure he would've if he weren't hesitant.

If the two of us were actually in the games right now, I'd be dead. He swings it from the top of his head down to my chest, but I quickly move away and grab the blade of the machete with the grip of my right hand. I pull the machete out of Cythrie's hand, making him smile at me.

Agh! I drop the machete from my hand and do my best to stop the bleeding. Instead of ignoring it, I brush it against my shirt and run straight at Cythrie. My fist swings up towards his face, but he easily blocks it by grabbing it with his own hand. My eyes widen as he crushes my fist with a small squeeze that sends cracks going down my arm. My mouth gapes open and I fall to my knees.

He pulls me closer towards him and then pushes me all the way into the machete racks. My head collides with the blade of a machete, but instead of stabbing into it, it just impacts my head and gives me a small lump. My exact response to the impact is to rub my head with my arm, which is exactly what I do.

He runs straight at me with his fists in the air. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! I brace myself for the impact until I hear the loud footsteps getting closer and closer. He finally makes his way right in front of me, so I roll to the left on the floor. Cythrie's fist goes straight into the machete racks and without a sign of ripped flesh, he starts bleeding instantly.

It pours on the floor and all I can do is smile a crooked smile. Can you imagine that happening in the arena? Oh, I just can't wait to enter it! Just thinking about all the blood that's gonna be smeared all over the floor; the blood that will be escaping from the cuts on the body of the tributes; the blood that I'll have a chance to produce by puncturing another tribute's body.

You know how overwhelming that would be? I just can't wait for it to happen. God, I'm gonna have so much fun with this. Just looking at that blood makes me want to fight more. Quickly picking myself up, I run straight towards Cythrie. My fists are clutched together and I swing right at him. Look at him, dodging my attacks and all, almost as if I was nothing more than a mere tribute with no experience at all.

But I'm not.

I've seen death. I've seen torture. Things like that aren't anything to me. After all, I did come from such a terrible environment. Anything that the games brings, I'll be ready for them. Seeing your own mother's head smashed into her body by a mallet doesn't leave you the same. All this blood that I've been craving has been brought to me for a reason.

Punch after punch, my fists collide into Cythrie's elbows. The small drops of blood drip from his wrist, and I just can't get enough of it. Why am I so happy? I can't help but feel so excited every time that I see that beautiful liquid. Just looking at that color makes me so happy. I'm not sure how I'm going to survive if I don't get some of that on my hands soon.

He's had defense training, you can just tell; he's constantly blocking my attacks and sending them back my way. I never thought that someone would be so good without a knife in their arsenal, but he's different. Is this what a Victor is like? That shocks me because you never expect a Victor to be an expert. Besides the career Victors, at least.

Honestly, I wouldn't expect some smart-ass from Three knowing how to perfectly throw a knife and being able to predict your every move. Hell, let alone a District Eleven Victor. We have one of the lower Victor percent ratios, but we're making our way back to the top. Well, at least I think we are. Especially after me. Winning won't be too difficult. I just have a gut feeling.

There are two choices that I can choose from now that I have the upper hand: either continue to attack with my fists or pick up that machete and draw more blood. I like drawing blood, so I think I'm gonna go with the machete. As he continues to block, I quickly sweep down and pick up a machete.

Swinging it wildly, I aim to hit the shoulder, then the neck, then the stomach, then the chest; after that the legs, then the arms, and finally I'll shove it right into the head! Slowly and painfully. That's how I intend on killing in these games. Sure, I'm not much of a weapon user, but if I see fit, I'll go ahead and pick one up.

The machete is light, but for some reason I can't use it. Every time I swing it up in the air it just drops from my hand. It's almost as if I can't use it at all. Cythrie smiles at me as we've just discovered my weakness: weaponry.

Shoot! Finally managing to pick up the machete, I swing right at Cythrie. He grabs the machete, exactly like I did, and pulls me towards him. Without warning, he lifts my body into the air and slams me down on the ground. ''Come on, Quartz!'' he looks at me, his eyes narrowed on the machete. ''You know that you're not a weapon user. Why even try?!''

''B-B—''

''Quartz!'' he shouts at me. I can hear his breathing calm down and so does mine. My chin sits on the cold floor. It's freezing here, but it doesn't bother me much. I've been through way worse things than this, trust me. ''Get up and let's go again. You can do this''

As I pick myself up, I spot Conly and Brysia staring at me. Conly points at me as I wipe the sweat away from my forehead and start to breathe roughly again. He starts smiling as he talks to Brysia. I try my best to calm down and listen to what they're saying. What I hear definitely isn't what I expected, but what they say is true. I really am handsome, aren't I?

''Isn't he cute, Brysia?'' Conly asks Brysia. This makes me put on a weird expression. ''Come on, you can't lie. Look at that face. Wouldn't you want to ally with someone as gorgeous as him?''

''Huh?'' she asks as she puts on a sharp expression. She shakes her head, but then she looks back at me. I turn my head quickly and pretend as if I can't hear them. Low-key, I'm staring at them through my peripheral vision.

''I mean, isn't the kid hot?'' Conly asks. Alright, now it's just getting weird. What's wrong with this guy? He's such a different Victor from all the other ones. Instead of being serious, he's all about jokes and goofing around, always talking about how hot someone is. He's just so damn weird. ''I mean, no homo, though.''

Oh, yeah. That makes it much better.

''Yeah,'' she says. ''He really is quite a beauty, and he has such a sweet, good-tempered face, and such a fine, intelligent eye – what do you say we call him Black Beauty?'' The both of them start to chuckle at her response and I can't even help let out a light chuckle, too. They high-five and then she starts writing in her book again. ''Too bad I'm not looking for anyone right now. I'm focused on winning, you feel?''

I roll my eyes and run straight at Cythrie. That machete rushes right towards me, my fist smacking against it and drawing more blood. Blood! Yes! Much more of it! Even though it hurts, even though it drags a pain throughout my entire body, it feels amazing! It makes me want to murder everyone in this damn Training Center. I want to stand on top of all of their bodies piled on top of one another with me holding a flag and shoving it through the skull of a career.

Career blood is the best blood, isn't it? The one that I want is the boy from Two. He's as bloodthirsty as I am. If not, even more! I just want to shove my hand through his forehead and rip his brain right out of it. After that, I'll go on to my next biggest threat: the boy from One. After him, the girl from Two. Then so on and on, I'll kill them all one by one.

Everyone's gonna be mine. I'll save the most fun tributes for last: Orion, Carter and the boy from Twelve. You know how fun it would be to kill those three tributes? Oh, God! This makes me want to hurt everyone! My fists continue to hit the machete and I have the upper hand, once again. I finally knock it out of Cythrie's grip, but just for a while until he regains it.

As he swings it, I roll to the left and kick his knee. He stumbles a bit, giving me the opportunity to strike. I've got the chance. I've finally got it! _Blood, blood, blood, blood! Get it, get it, get it!_ My fist raises into the air, almost crashing down against Cythrie's face. I want to do it, I really do, but something's stopping me.

Something from my past pops into my mind. The face of my mother and the scene with her and dad. The mallet repeatedly crashes against her skull, just taunting me as she looks up with widened eyes. I can't do anything to save her, and that's what caused me to never see her again. I was so weak! So useless! So stupid! If I was smart, I would've grabbed a knife and slammed it into his neck, drawing the blood and smearing it all over the floor.

If only I did that.

The depression comes back and hits me head-on. Cythrie takes this as a chance to grab me by the back of my neck and slams my head down onto his knee. A crack is heard from my nose and blood just shoots out. He holds me up by my hair and pins the machete right on the tip of my forehead.

I see the blood drip down from my forehead onto the machete. Hmm. If only it was the other way around and I was the mentor. I would've ended it for the pitiful tribute. Now what? Do I just lie here and let myself be defeated, once again? First it was my dad, then it was the games, now my own mentor!

When will I ever be able to stand up for myself?! WHEN?! It's almost as if all this training has done nothing for me. Wanting to kill isn't working, and neither is trying. Every time that I go in for the kill, I always end up getting killed. Is this how it's gonna be from now on? The first time was a fluke, and now I'll have it happening again?!

When is anything gonna get better?!

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy! So, over the break, I decided to write this. Well, actually, all of it today because yesterday was Thanksgiving, which I wish you all had a wonderful day, and I was definitely not gonna write on Thanksgiving. Wednesday was just a lazy day with no school, so I took that time off ;3 Totally worth it. At least I got this chapter out soon. I enjoyed writing these three POVs.**

 **I don't know why, but I feel as if I'm not doing well with the action scenes. Please tell me if you like them, because I feel as though I'm very repetitive and that bothers the crap out of me. Almost makes me want to rip my curly hair out of my scalp. But I won't! I need that beauty of hair. So... Let me know what you guys thought of the tributes and their interactions with each other!**

 **Also, congrats to Wizard, Brooke, Music, Abby, and Cloe for getting the sponsor points. 1000 To you all. ^^ Hopefully you enjoy them, because now I gotta raise up the sponsor prices with all these thousands that you guys have. If anyone gets up to 10,000 sponsor points, I'll serve you the victory of you tribute on a silver platter. No joke(psyche).**

 **And to Caleb, with 500... You disappoint me so much, Caleb... Like, what's wrong with you, fam? Speaking of Caleb, you should totally check out his new SYOT: At Wits End. It's the 17th games and it'd be awesome if you all checked it out. Anyway, if I missed anyone, please let me know, because I'm not sure. I think that's everyone but if I missed you, PM me and let me know and I'll get those up. I'm so happy that only a handful of tributes who need POVs remain. Because of this, I'm curious as to whether you guys want another Training Day or not.**

 **Also, I made some new additions to the site! If you forgot it, it's on my profile. ^^ I added a sponsor area where you can earn sponsor points. Just click on the links and then PM me telling me that you did, and what you reaction was. I'll definitely give them to you guys. You know, just being generous here and handing out thousands of sponsor points.**

 **Also, thank you guys for 168 reviews in such a short amount of chapters. I was surprised seeing that many—even though that's barely anything compared to other stories—and I was really happy. Yes, please continue feeding me reviews. I love them so much and they make me incredibly happy. You guys are just absolutely amazing! :) Now, let's get onto the questions!**

* * *

 **Honestly, did the fights get boring and repetitive? I feel as though they did. Please let me know.**

 **Do you guys want a Training Day three? I wasn't really planning on one, but if you guys want another one, I'll sure as hell write one down.**

 **I haven't asked this in a while, but anything you think I can do to make this better? Anything at all would seriously help.**

 **Which tribute her was your most liked?(another one I haven't asked in a while) And what did you like about them so much?**

* * *

 **That's all for now! No chapter related questions that happened to the tributes today. Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter. There's not much to say today besides I hope you all have a wonderful day. Happy Black Friday! Try not to get trampled by all of the customers if you guys plan on going out. Besides that, I'll try to get the next chapter up quickly, depending on what it is. Thanks for reading, see you all later. Bye! ^^**


	14. Alliances, Disagreements, and Regret

**Training Day Three:**

* * *

 **Enigma Lilac Brine, 18;**

 **District Five Female**

When first coming to the Capitol, it was quite awkward. Nobody talked to me, I didn't talk to anybody. Some people backed away from me, and I backed away from others. I didn't even speak to my mentor that much either. Well, not until Kelsin told me to get out of that shy habit of mine. I used to think that people were hesitant of talking to me because they were the socially awkward ones, but the truth is that I'm the socially awkward one.

With a little bit of her help, I finally removed that awkwardness from me that I didn't even know I had. People were usually intimidated by me because of how smart I was, and I never expected that to be the problem. Even Levi somewhat tried to avoid me at times. Maybe I should just keep my thoughts to myself at times, and I've gotten better at doing that all with the help of my mentor.

She's such a kind girl, too. We get along so well. Some of that comes because we're only one year apart, but we've gotten really close to one another. I'm beginning to think of her as a friend. Someone who I can always talk to, no matter how much of a time limit that the Capitol says I have left to survive during these games.

One thing that I've noticed are her gooey eyes whenever she meets contact with Levi. Those two are cute, even though it's kind of inappropriate for a mentor and tribute to be, you know, in love. I'm not totally sure if they are or not, but it'd be cute to see them together. I don't think that I ever would've thought of this, but if I don't win, I'd sure want Levi to.

Him returning to Kelsin would be cute. Maybe I could even try to learn more about Levi. I've never really bothered to ask him about his life before the games and how he died. Nobody really interested me, especially not in that category. I see now that changing my thoughts was definitely for the better.

Even Domino. There he is, practicing with his weapon. Our eyes meet at times, and I start to blush. It's been a while since we met, and even with my awkward personality, always ranting on and on about how some people just don't understand what they're doing, he still loved me. I'm just shocked to see him here.

Last time I saw him was back in District Five. He was one of the nicest people that I had ever met, always telling me how much he loved me and how much he enjoyed spending all of his time with me. Then, out of the blue, he moved to District Four without telling me a single thing. We had a huge argument because he wouldn't fill me in on why he left, and we said a couple of things that kinda hurt.

He gave me a reality check on my know-it-all personality, which really hurt. I had never heard him say something so rude before, and after he did say it, I felt like complete crap. Honestly, I was pretty upset by his words, since they were the last ones that he ever said to me. I wanted to respond, but something just didn't allow me to.

Ever since that day, I've never cared about others. I always thought that they weren't worth it. And even when I could have gotten a date or gone out with any guy that I wanted, they were always too shy or scared to come near me. All because of one terrible confrontation. I never expected anything of the sort, and it honestly crushed my soul. The one person that you actually loved, not liked, but loved, is the one person who breaks your heart and shatters it into pieces.

Finally mustering up the courage, I breathe calmly and start marching towards him. All of the careers are just standing next to each other and chatting among themselves. Domino is the only one who's just leaning back and not talking, staring out into space until I walk over there.

My hands are in front of my lap and I smile genuinely at the careers as they all quiet down and stare at me. I get a dirty stare from the District Two boy and the District Four girl. My steady breathing starts to increase as I'm the one who's finally intimidated by others, this time around. I try my best not to look at those two, but they both stare straight at me, even as I'm slowly moving away from them.

''Hey, Domino,'' I smile, my gaze straight on him. He looks up, his expression shocked. His eyes widen in sudden emotion and he starts to smile at me. This is the only time that I've ever seen Domino smile since coming to the Capitol. He quickly stands up and runs over towards me, wrapping me in his warm embrace. My cheeks turn rosy and red.

I used to think people never understood me because of my personality behind my looks. Everyone that I ever met was too intimidated to talk to me, or they just backed away. I was always labeled as a dumb blonde because of my looks, but underneath this... appealing figure of mine lies a girl who's just doing her best to not be so different.

Sure, I'm smart, and I love that about myself, but people need to understand that, along with me needing to understand them. This experience to the Capitol has really changed me from before. I would never speak to anyone, I would never bother to even look at anyone, and I would never ever dare to breathe the same air as anyone. Not because I was a bitch, but because I was always intimidated by them at heart.

''How's it going?'' I ask, my tone calm and my voice steady. I shut my eyes for a second as I feel his hand brush against my cheek. It's so soft and caring that I just want to stay in this position for the rest of my time here in the Capitol. Meeting Domino back when we were alive was love at first sight.

He was just different from all the other people that I've ever met. He was one of the only people to ever try to talk to me. It was in the factory, too. We were both holding packages and I remember him having on a long sleeved shirt. I was talking to myself about what I was gonna do for my next school project, and he and I just happened to bump into each other.

Both of our packages fell, and instead of doing what everyone else did: look at me in shock and run away, he actually picked up my box and helped me place everything back in it. He was just different from the others; he actually helped me out, and he never felt awkward when talking to me. I just loved spending every moment of my time with him.

I remember one day when we were just hanging at his house, I commented upon discovering his errors—all one hundred thirty-six of them—he quickly changed his attitude and acted totally different from then on. He changed his personality just for my liking. Nobody has ever done that for me before, and I knew then that he actually wanted to make our relationship work.

At first, I didn't find Domino attractive – or so I thought. I always thought that I would never find anyone to be with. Nobody enjoyed my company, nobody thought of me as normal, but it wasn't in a weird way. It was just more of a 'you're too pretty and I'm scared to approach you' way, but beauty isn't everything. Even though I've never used it to my advantage, I never planned on it, and knowing that I've finally stepped out of my comfort zone makes me really happy.

Some people desire respect, love, and power – some even achieve it – but it's easier said than done, and I've realized that now. Power was never something that I wanted, nor was respect, but love was definitely something that I didn't have much of. Well, I did with my family, but it just wasn't the same. Especially not after mother was openly killed by a peacekeeper for protesting the games.

Now that I've finally changed my ways and started to step up to the plate, I think I've finally learned the error of my ways in the beginning. I should've been open to others and less observant to what they were gonna do. Instead of using my brain for just smarts, I should've used it for more important things, like getting to know others and making bonds, growing relationships, and having fun.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still use this brain to my fullest advantage, but it's just different now. Hopefully not too many things change, but I like it for the better. Now if only I could get to learn more about Levi. Currently, he's just walking around and talking to a couple of trainers. Smart kid. I guess he's trying to get them into supporting him during his time in the arena. I'll definitely be rooting for him.

 _But not as much as you'll be rooting for Domino, right?_ With a sudden burst of speed, a spear goes spiraling and soaring throughout the air and hits a dummy right in the heart. We all turn our heads to see the girl from Four with her hand up. She has an angered expression on her face.

I'm pushed away from Domino by the girl from One as she starts to flirt with him. She gives him multiple pecks on the cheek and smiles at me right in the eye as she does it. D-Did he really move on already? Domino?! He pushes her away, trying to explain until the girl from Four opens up her mouth.

''Stop it! What is wrong with you people? This is the Hunger Games, not a fucking speed-date!'' her tone angry as she looks at us all back and forth, her eyes finally stopping on One. ''You! You're such a slut! Always hitting on someone and blowing kisses or trying to do some stupid shit! And you! Why the fuck are you here in the first place? God, I've been keeping to myself for quite some time now, but you guys are just pitiful!''

We all stare at her as she blows her steam. One puts her had on her chest and backs up a little, still holding onto Domino's shoulder as he tries to brush her hand off of it. Four continues to rant about how stupid we're all playing the games so far and how annoyed it's been for her, drawing quite some attention to her.

''I've seen you staring at Domino all the damn time during these past two training days. Stop standing there, looking into his Goddamn eyes and say something! Fuck, you all can get annoying at a certain point!''

She strolls out of Training Center—obviously mad—as we all just stop what we're doing and stare at her. Domino breaks the stiff movement from us all by pushing One away and coming over towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist and reaching in for a kiss.

I close my eyes, waiting for his tender lips to touch mine. It's been a while since we've kissed, and I'm lucky to be back with him. The only thing that sucks is that we're both back in the Hunger Games. And only one of us can come out alive as Victor. Why does it have to be this way? Why can't we just be together like we once were?

Well, one things for sure. If I make the final two with Domino, I'm letting him win, and I'll do anything in my power to let him win.

Our lips continue to get closer and closer. Finally, I can feel the touch of his upper lip, and then it happens.

* * *

 **Hero Kane, 17;**

 **District One Male**

''Hey!'' I shout as I push my face in between the lips of Domino and his girl. They both stop abruptly as their lips press against my cheeks. Ha ha, this is weird. The girl quickly pulls away and backs up suddenly, her face all blushed up. I smile at her as I wink and then face Domino, who has a some-what angry expression on his face. ''How's it going?''

Domino just shakes his head at me. Seriously, though, I'm curious as to who this girl is. I haven't seen her around the Training Center much, but maybe that's because I was too busy throwing knives at tributes. I don't get why they kept on running. I don't intend on hurting them, and I haven't because I know where to aim. It's just a little trick to scare them.

What I just did made some of the other careers laugh. Even Isha laughed, and I've never seen her smile before. Asyrin is over here dying and Parvati is chuckling. I bet Seraphina would be laughing if she was still here. I kind of feel bad, but she does have a point. There's so much loving going on around here that it's disgusting.

Ugh, cooties! But is love really that bad? I mean, I've never understood it. I've had people in One always try to touch my shoulder and sometimes they would even go as far as kissing me on the lips. Is that would love is? I don't know.

Domino grabs my shoulder and squeezes it hard as I stand there smiling. ''What's wrong with you?'' he asks. I stare at him with my eyes wide, but then I just start to laugh as I hold onto his shoulder, as well. I think he's trying to play a game. If so, I'll have no problem playing.

''Are we playing a game?'' I ask out of the blue. Everyone starts to quiet down as Domino's grip tightens. Um, what's going on? Is he seriously mad or is he just fooling around. It's not funny to see him mad, but I'll totally get it if he's fooling. I smile right at him as he continues to press down on my shoulder, harder.

I do the same as him and I start to squeeze. He wrinkles his nose and grits his teeth as he starts to kneel on the floor. Is he really hurt? W-What am I doing? No, he's gotta just be joking around. Nobody is ever really hurt by me. I could never hurt anyone. A soft hand touches my forearm and pulls it away, loosening my grip on Domino's shoulder.

''Stop it! Please, stop!'' the girl from Five's voice rings in my ear. I turn my head around and stare at her. I didn't really ever expect to see her talking to me, but I can deal with this. I smile at her as I let go of my grip on Domino. He lies on his back as he holds onto his shoulder. His girlfriend, I think, runs over to him and kneels beside him. ''What did you do?!''

''I-I didn't do anything bad, right?'' I chuckle it off. Finally turning that chuckle into a laugh, I think of it as nothing. I know I didn't really hurt him, so there's no reason to be mad at me. He's okay, I know he is. I continue to laugh and start messing around. ''Come on, Domino, get up.''

I help pick him up and he just stands there grunting. Everyone stops laughing, causing us all to just stand there quietly. Nobody says anything for quite some time. I'm not sure if I should break the silence or not, but as I ponder over what I should do, Domino whispers with his girlfriend. What are they talking about, though?

''So, does anybody know where Seraphina went?'' I ask, finally breaking up the silence. Asyrin shrugs, Isha puts on a genuine smile and shakes her head, Parvati just stands there like she doesn't care as she just continues to look at me. She blows a quick kiss, like she usually does, and I can feel my face turn red. It gets so awkward at times whenever she does things like that.

We all stand here in utter silence, and it's really starting to get awkward. Maybe I should go look for Seraphina, or maybe I should just keep quiet like everyone else. Honestly, I don't want to stay quiet. It's boring and nothing good comes out of silence. Walking over to one of the dummies, I remove it from it's stand and throw it straight at Asyrin.

He sees it coming his way so he grabs it and stares straight at me. His eyes narrow to the left of me and he stares at the second dummy that I've picked up from the rack. I throw that dummy straight up towards Isha, who quickly picks up her quiver and shoots an arrow hurdling towards the dummy heading her way. The arrow pierces the dummies heart and pushes it away from her.

''You need to calm the fuck down,'' says Asyrin as she stares at me, his voice has just gotten deeper and he sounds angry. I just shrug and smile at him. I'm not doing anything wrong, though, am I? All I'm trying to do is have a little bit of fun but, no-one here wants to do anything. Why is it so quiet among the careers this year? Last time I was here, every career besides me kept on making fun of the outer District tributes, just struggling to make use of the weapons they tried to use.

''Come on, guys!'' I whine, my voice just cracked for a second. Everyone looks up and stares at me. For the first time ever, Isha is actually laughing. Not smiling, but actually laughing. Asyrin joins her as they laugh at me; Parvati, Domino and his friend also start to laugh. I can't help but smile at my own voice crack. I pick up a knife and send it hurdling towards Domino. He quickly moves away and the knife almost hits his friend in the face. ''Let's do something fun!''

Domino stands there looking shocked. His expression has just turned from calm to angry. ''What's wrong with you?!'' he shouts at me, steadily as he proceeds to get closer to me. ''You almost hit her, idiot! Why do you keep fooling around? Is there something wrong with your brain?''

''Hey, stop it.'' Parvati steps in. ''Leave him alone. Come on, he's just trying to have fun. Don't try to hurt his feelings just because of a little mistake. There's nothing wrong with a boy just trying to have fun, is there?''

''No, but he's constantly doing it!'' he shouts at Parvati. ''He's been doing it for the past two days! Yesterday he was tossing knives at some tribute, who I honestly couldn't give a damn about, but it's gotten annoying! He's been doing the same thing to us all with that stupid immaturity of his!''

''First of all, don't raise your Goddamn voice at me.'' Parvati says as she holds up her hand and puts on an angered expression. I've never actually seen her put on such an angry expression before and her tone is different, too. I guess everyone has that mean side to them, but I never expected it from her. ''Stop ridiculing him. It's just his personality. If he wants to childish, let him be childish.''

I chuckle a little bit, making Domino turn around and stare at me. He gives me one of the meanest looks that I've ever seen on anybody's face before. I'm not gonna lie, it intimidated me a little bit, but Domino would never do anything to hurt me. I know that he wouldn't, because we're all good friends here. Even though we're entering a game of death, we're all still very good friends, right?

''Do you honestly find this funny? Your personality is really starting to piss me off. Like Seraphina, I haven't said a damn thing for the entire time that I've been around you.'' he shouts at me, his voice angered and strict. ''I've been questioning this whole career alliance thing because of you. I'm not sure if I even still wanna be in it!''

''Then expect to be targeted at the bloodbath,'' Asyrin jumps in. He looks at Domino and his eyes are bloodshot. I never expected Asyrin to threaten another alliance member, but then again, he's the one who enjoys these games more than anyone else in our alliance. I'm not even sure if anyone else here does. I know that Parvati has a thing against District Four, hence why she's always looking at Seraphina and Domino in ways I wouldn't expect for her to.

Isha just doesn't seem interested in these games, but she's determined to go into them. I remember one time when we had a full-on conversation about how much she missed her daughter and all of that. She even told me that she'd be willing to kill her alliance members if it came down to it, and I don't blame her. The only thing with me is that I'm not interested in this whole killing thing. It's just not suiting for me, I guess you would say. I don't mind being in them, but killing just isn't my thing, unlike fooling around and having fun.

''Yeah, don't be so rude to the boy,'' Isha finally speaks up. ''Honestly, I'm never really interested in other peoples business, but Hero doesn't deserve to be yelled at. Cut him some slack, and do you really intend on not being in this alliance? That would be a dumb decision. I'm not threatening you or anything, but Asyrin over here will surely target you. And honestly, who wants to fight with Asyrin?''

Before Domino can answer, his friend runs over to him and brings his ear closer to her lips. They start whispering to each other and every time the word 'alliance' comes out of one of their mouths, Domino turns around and stares at me. I smile at him and try my best to make him feel welcome.

''Come on,'' I hear his friend say. ''Joining the career alliance would ensure us getting far in the games. Every year the group of careers get a bunch load of sponsors that help them get further into the games. If we join them and get on their good-side, we'd be safe with them and have a surplus amount of sponsors!''

''That's true,'' I say overhearing their conversations. ''Not only that, but we could all get to know each other. I mean, we haven't spoken much during these days of training, but maybe the arena can bring us all closer together. What do you think?''

''I don't k-''

''Definitely!'' interrupts his friend as she slowly walks over towards me. She puts her hands on my shoulder and smiles at me kindly. ''But you gotta get out of that immature personality of yours.''

''Okay,'' I smile at her, staring right into her eyes. Wait, wait, wait. Why do I feel so weird whenever I stare at her? Her honey blonde hair sparkles in the light and I just can't help but notice. I should probably stop staring at her before Domino gets mad at me. ''Um, what's your name?'' I don't even know why I asked her that. I'm interested in learning more about her, but Domino doesn't seem to be happy with me.

''Enigma!'' she says cheerfully, bringing her arm out for me to take. ''What's yours? I'm looking forward to meeting and talking to all of you.'' Her voice is so sweet and gentle. Why do I feel so weird? I start staring straight into her olive hue colored eyes and it feels like I'm almost jumping straight into them. I hope this isn't too awkward.

Finally, a hand pushes me away from her. Domino stands there huffing and puffing. God, why is he so mad? He needs to chill out. ''It's Hero.'' She smiles at me, making this entire alliance quiet, once again. This is the most awkward alliance that I've ever been in. It's nothing like it was back when I was alive. Everyone would always joke around and start laughing, but I guess not every alliance will be perfect.

''Where are you going?'' I hear Parvati call out as I start walking away from our group. I wave my hand, telling them all that it's nothing important. I'm just curious as to where Seraphina is. Seraphina, for some reason, reminds me of Michelle—my ally from my previous games who threw her token at my pedestal—and I don't know why. She just has the same look to her.

As I finally make my way outside, I see Seraphina standing by the water fountain. I slowly approach her and place a hand on her shoulder. Maybe what they said was right. I really should stop acting so immature towards other people, but it's just so fun. I mean, come on. Have a little fun in your life every once in a while.

''Are you okay?'' I ask. She stares up at me and I give her a charming smile. She's the youngest one in our group. I have to make sure that she's alright. In fact, I haven't told anyone this but she's my favorite person here besides Asyrin. Yes, Asyrin is one of my favorites. He's just a fun guy to talk to, unless he's mad. Then you avoid him at all costs.

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' she sighs. ''It's just those irritating tributes, always looking for a relationship during the games. It's just stupid! I don't understand why people do it and it honestly bothers me. I've never been one to yell at others, always being calm, but sometimes there's a point where you can't take it anymore, you know?''

''Yeah,'' I say lying. I've never really hard that problem with other people before. Well, people have had that problem with me, but I don't understand why they take it so seriously. It's true what everyone says, though. I am immature, and that immaturity could really kill me in the games. I know what Domino's capable of; I know what Isha's capable of; I know what everyone in our alliance is capable of. And even though I'm better than most of them, they all can kill me in the blink of an eye. ''Come back to our group soon, okay? We miss you.''

''Okay.'' she sighs. She crosses her arms as she leans against the wall and closes her eye. I push the button of the water fountain and fill up water into my mouth. I start walking towards the double doors of the Training Center but before I leave I spit some water out at Seraphina. It hits her in the face and drips down her outfit.

''YOU—''

I run into the Training Center before she finishes her sentence. I start running towards my alliance, but I don't stop there. I slap Domino in the back of the head, turn around, and spit water in his face as I continue running. I hear him yelling at me and groaning.

What? Who says you can't still have a little bit of fun and use that immaturity to your advantage? Hehe.

* * *

 **Seraphina Royal, 16**

 **District Four Female**

I can't stay mad at him forever. After all, that's Hero's nature. There's no way in hell that you could be mad at such a fun guy. He makes me smile at times, always goofing around and doing the immature things that he does. This is the first time that he's done something like that on me, and honestly, he got me pretty good. I can't help but let out a snicker.

It just bothers me that we're using our last day of training to just sit around and start talking. What's talking gonna do for us? Boost up our social status in the Capitol? I doubt that they even care about us. After all, we're all just gonna be tributes who were forgotten. I bet we were until we were all brought back to life.

The only people who are remembered among the Capitol are the Victors, and even sometimes they go away. Well, only the ones who didn't leave a mark. Unlike Gari. He'll be spoken about for years to come, until someone breaks that killing streak of his. I don't doubt that someone will, but it'll be quite some time before it happens.

I'd predict some career going on a killing streak like that, but something tells me that an outer District tribute might do that. I don't know, I just have a feeling that that's how it'll play out. It doesn't matter much to me what happens in the future. All I need to worry about right now is focusing on how I'm gonna win these games.

All of the mentors have left the tributes to just do what they wanted today. The booths for training are still open, yet nobody's trying to use them. Everyone is just chatting up a storm, and honestly, it would be better for them to be training.

As I open up the double doors, there are multiple weapons scattered on the floor. Maybe I shouldn't be too focused on training all the time. You know, everyone here is enjoying themselves and having fun. Even Domino is running after Hero, quickly gaining momentum on him. It's good to see everyone laughing and enjoying themselves, but have they all forgotten that twenty-three of us will be dead in the matter of a week? _Again._

I pick up a spear that's sitting right in front of my feet. It feels smooth and slippy against my hand. The water that Hero spit over me starts to drip from my hair onto my hands. Wiping it all away, I clutch the spear with my fist and begin to walk with it. I wave, smiling genuinely at the trainers and sigh to myself as I reach the career alliance.

 _You don't have to train all the time,_ my mind tells me. I know that I don't, but sometimes training for the Hunger Games—rather than for fun or pleasure—is really quite enjoyable. I just can't get training out of my head at times, and that's what I intend on doing to win these games.

As I make my way over to my alliance, I lean against the machete racks. Asyrin looks over at me and smiles. I watch as all of the careers then turn to look at me. I'm not sure why they're all staring, but I guess the spotlights on me. Continuing to hold my smile, my eyes meet the eyes of the girl from Five. Ugh. What does she want?

I watch as the sweat slowly slides down the side of her face. Is she intimidated? By me? I just want to walk up to her and shove this spear into her abdomen. She continues to stare at me but with a smile. Is she trying to be nice or something? I don't think I'd get along with her, and I don't want to try either way. Maybe she'd be a good ally, but I don't find her to be useful at this time.

''Is she with us?'' I ask everyone around our circle. I walk up to Asyrin and look at him straight in the eyes. He's obviously Career Pack Leader this year, and I have no problem with that. Could he possibly have let her join our alliance? Why, though? She's only gonna get in the way with Domino. ''Did _you_ let her into this alliance?''

''Yeah,'' he admits. I look at him as if he's crazy. Why would you let an outer tribute join the careers? What's so special about her that she has to join us? What's her skill?; does she even have talent? ''Is there a problem with that? If I say she's in, then she's in. I hope that no-one here disagrees with my choice. Are there any disagreements? If there are, we can settle this in the arena.''

When I first learned how to train—which was decades ago—the first thing that they taught me was to never trust anyone. Not even your own District partner. I never trusted Domino, but now he's brought his girlfriend into the mix and she's all friendly with us. Are you kidding me?! I learned about trusting the hard way, when the boy from Two speared me down my last games.

You've gotta be kidding me. I'm trying to plead them to reconsider their decision. Why the hell do they want to add this dumb blonde to our alliance? God, I just want to...

This brings me back to my mom. She never used to pay attention to me, especially after dad abandoned us. I'd like to say that dad leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me because I went to the Training Academy, but it wasn't. My mother only started paying attention to me because I was chosen to volunteer. I wonder what the look on her face was when she saw me die. First she lost my dad, then she lost me. I'm just curious as to what was going on through her mind at the time.

The Academy was an amazing place. I met Ruby, my trainer and best friend, and I remember three things that she loved – the Hunger Games, Distrct Four Victors, and food. She was such an amazing person. I thought of her as my true mother, because she basically raised me. I can only imagine the look on her face when I died, too.

''So what are we doing today?'' I ask our entire alliance, giving them all a content smile. Everyone stands next to each other, yawning, coughing, and just doing nothing. _I'm glad to know that it's not just me who's feeling this way today._

''Why don't we plan on what we're doing today?'' asks Parvati. _For once, the slut has a good idea._ She turns around and looks at everyone, first staring at Asyrin, Domino and his girlfriend, Hero, Isha, and then finally resting her eyes on me. I squint my eyes just as she does hers, and now it's an awkward silence again.

''What do you mean by what we're doing today?'' asks Isha, forcing a smile on her face before looking over at me. ''Like, training? Talking? Sparring? Or do you mean what we're gonna show the Head Gamemaker?''

''I mean what we're gonna show the Head Gamemaker.'' admits Parvati, looking around the Training Center. ''Like, who's gonna do what? Are you gonna show them how well you can do with a mace? Are you gonna show them your bow and arrow skills? Are you gonna take some type of survival skill? And you, are you gonna show them your skill with a spear?''

''I like her idea, except let's all divide what we're gonna do,'' says Hero, actually saying something that's not about joking. I guess that childish personality of his has finally been put on pause. ''Let's say only a handful of us do weapons. I mean, careers can't just be brute strength, right? How about only three of us choose weapon skills as the others try to find something else to Head Gamemaker?''

''I'm actually liking this idea,'' says Asyrin. ''So let's say me, Isha, and Hero all use weapons,'' _What?!_ ''Parvati can just flirt with them, since she's good at doing that. I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving a beautiful girl a high score if she showed them some skin. Domino can show them a bit of his weaponry and Enigma can use her brain smarts to take a test or something.''

''What about me?'' I call out, gathering the attention of all the older kids. Everyone here is either seventeen or older, and I'm over here at sixteen. I'm the shortest person in this alliance, so looking up at all of them while they look down at me is kinda embarrassing at times.

''What about you?'' Parvati responds, a smug look on her face with her arms crossed across her chest. I swallow my spit and look up at her as she looks me up and down. I ignore her words and just shake my head. I turn around and see the boy from Seven talking to a couple of tributes. He's always been friendly to tributes around these games, but something is off about him.

He starts talking to the little girl from Ten. She looks up at him and admires what he's saying or something. Something about her eyes are different, though. With an axe gripped tightly in his hands, he quickly swings it up and hits a dummy in the chest. He scratches the back of his hair and smiles as she continues to talk to him. They finally end the conversation with him patting her head and walking off.

He looks up at our alliance and catches my eye. I stare straight at him, my eyes quickly darting back to the girl from Ten who runs over to the girl from Six. Was that an alliance? No, I doubt someone like him would team up with such a little girl. I'm finally brought back to reality by Parvati's voice.

''What about you, idiot?'' God, I wish she would just shut up. If anything, she's the most idiotic career here. I'm not gonna try to argue with her, especially not since my back still hurts from the other day. I had a short scratch, but it really hurt, and it's all thanks to her. God, what I'd do to get my revenge on her.

''What do I do? You three are doing weapons,'' I say pointing at Isha, Asyrin, and Hero, catching the gaze of Isha. ''You two are doing some type of survival skill, you're just flirting with the gamemakers like the true slut that you are, so what does that leave for me to do?''

''You do what you want,'' Parvati gives me a smug look. ''After all, you are a big girl, aren't you? Little Seraphina over here wants to take charge, guys. Isn't that a surprise. You know what? Since you've got such a big mouth, why don't you lead this career alliance of ours? You seem good at speaking your mind, so I think you're the most fitting. What do you saw, Asyrin?''

''Unless she wants to die, I say she sits the fuck down and listen to what I have to say,'' he responds to Parvati's question, looking straight at me. ''And unless you wanna die, I suggest you shut the fuck up and let the girl say what she has to say.''

This shuts Parvati up. She just turns her head and starts murmuring. She then quickly turns around and stares at me. ''I'll be going around and examining the other tributes.'' Before she leaves, she sneaks past my hear as she steps on my boots. ''Why don't you be a good little girl and keep your ass quiet?''

 _Why don't you shut the fuck up?_ ''Why don't you be a good little girl and keep your ass quiet?'' I say mimicking her as she walks away, ignoring everything that I said. I look back at my alliance who all just shrug at me. ''I guess I'll just be doing hand-to-hand?''

They all look at me and nod their heads. Everyone goes back to having their regular conversations, while I stay here thinking. I'm not really just gonna be doing hand-to-hand. I'll show the gamemakers the main things that I've been practicing and learning to get better at – spear throwing, hand-to-hand, and fighting.

Laying low was a smart decision of me to do during these past two days. Today, unfortunately, is the big day. Only one more day and then we'll be in the Games. After the interviews tomorrow, we'll be heading into the games. The Launch will come sooner than I know it, and then we'll finally hit the Arena.

This has been such a quick journey, and now I finally get another chance at being crowned the Victor that I truly deserve to be. I just can't let it all get stuck in my head. Being cocky won't get me anywhere, especially not with my alliance. One wrong move and I could be dead by the hands of Asyrin. One wrong word about Isha's child and I could get an arrow stuck in my throat. One wrong word about Domino's girlfriend and he could knock me out unconscious. One wrong word to Parvati and I could be having a meteor hammer suffocating me. Not that I'm scared of her.

I'll take her on any day.

 _Would you really?_ Thinking about it, I come to my senses. She's hated me with a passion ever since arriving to the Capitol. But why? What did I do to her that was so bad? I didn't kill her; the girl from her games did. Ironically, she was also from District Four, but that doesn't mean that I'll be killing her. Although, I do plan on doing it. Poisoning them all around the final ten is what I plan on doing, but I don't know what could happen.

I could die sooner than that, but I really don't want to. This is my only chance to finally get that crown that I've trained so hard for. If I just let it slip away from my hands again, I won't ever be able to regain it. I know that winning will be tough, especially with the allies that I have in front of me.

''So anyone want to practice a little bit?'' offers Asyrin, picking up his mace. He walks away from us and heads over to a training booth with two trainers standing in front of it. Isha picks herself up and walks over towards the holograph section, shooting arrows like mad. Domino and his girlfriend continue to talk and walk steadily as they do.

Hero finally picks himself up and begins walking away from me.

Great. Now I'm all alone. What to do now? Everyone is out to go get some last-minute practice, while I'm over here, barely moving, barely thinking, barely doing anything. I'm completely alone and ignored.

Just like how I was with mom.

* * *

 **Nathan Evans, 16;**

 **District Eight Male**

Everyone here has a partner besides me! Well, almost everyone. There are the careers, including the girl from Five, the boys from Six, Nine, and Ten, then there are the girls from Six and Ten. I'm all alone, and most of the tributes here don't want to be allies.

I've tried asking both of the tributes from Seven, but they both said no. I hold up the short sword that I've picked up from the racks and continue to spectate other tributes. Close to me are the two little girls from Six and Ten. They're both chatting up a storm over here, laughing as they talk about how well they've gotten to know each other.

They both start walking closer and closer towards me, making their way over to the survival station. The booth over there is open. No line, no competition of getting there first. Nothing. I'm waiting for the perfect moment to ask the both of them if I can join their alliance or not. It would be kind of weird, though.

I'd be the only guy in the group, who would know nothing about either of these two girls. They probably know so much about each other, especially with the two days that they've had together. I don't want it to be awkward, but I really, really need an alliance. _Don't forget badly. Without them, you'll probably die during the first day._

I breathe calmly and turn around as soon as they both walk behind me. The small girl from Ten gets pushed back a little bit and looks straight up at me. Her eyes move up and down as she stares at me. She yawns and then crosses her arms, asking me what in the world it is that I want. Her eyes are so judging, and so is her tone of voice. I feel as though she dislikes me, even before knowing my correct nature.

''Hey,'' I say smiling, making direct eye-contact with her. ''I was just curious as to know if you guys needed an extra ally?'' That was definitely not the right way to approach them. She's continuing to judge me with her eyes. It's just so simple to tell.

She yawns and then faces her ally. ''Can you believe this guy?'' she asks her partner as she points at me, covering her mouth at the same time. Her partner looks straight up at me, giving me a bright smile and a very pitiful look all at the same time. ''You, someone who's at least thirty years older than us, wants to join our alliance?''

''Yes!'' I answer way too quickly, causing the both of them to stumble back a bit and stare at me. The girl from Six still keeps her polite smile and nods her head at me. The girl from Ten looks at her with wide eyes and shakes her head.

''No, no, no!'' she exclaims, looking right into my eyes. ''Someone like you wouldn't fit in with our alliance. The way you approached us was creepy enough, and now you answer quick as heck. For all we know, you could be planning on raping us in the Arena. No thank you.''

''Come on,'' says Six. ''Let's at least give him a chance! Please?''

''No,'' answers Ten.

''Please!'' I plead, getting on my knees. I've never been one to do this, but I need allies. I can't survive on my own and that was especially clear from the first time I went into these games. ''I can help you guys. I really, genuinely want to help you guys out. I'll do anything to get into this alliance with you guys.''

''Oh, really?'' says the girl from Ten, a smile forming on her face. I might regret my answer later, but I have to get some allies. Anyone would do well, and I haven't found anyone here who wants to ally with me yet. If I can get two little girls to ally with me, I'll be fine by it. If I get a group of killer kids to ally with me, I'll be fine by it. If I can get a group of children who have no idea what they're doing in these games, I'll be fine by it.

Anyone, just anyone would do great!

''Yes!'' I shout way too loudly. A couple of eyes turn and stare at us. Even Candice starts looking my way. I see Ten's eyes staring right at Candice, then she turns back to me. Her smile grows larger and I can just tell that this won't be something good. I brace myself for what she wants me to do, but it never comes. Finally, she opens her mouth and speaks.

''Go over to your satanic District partner and hit her in the face with that short-sword.''

What? Hit Candice? I can't do that. She'd surely come after me in the arena and try to kill me. I can't have that happen. Candice would easily kill me. Tear me into shreds. I've seen what she's done in the Training Center these past two days. The way she's easily disarmed trainers, the way she's hacked up dummies, the way she's killed holographic figures like it's nothing.

I just can't.

''N-No,'' I stutter. ''I can't do that!''

''Do you want to be in this alliance or not?'' asks Ten again.

''Y-Yeah, I do, but-''

''But what? If you can't do it, then don't bother coming back to us. Come on, Anaya, let's go.'' I watch as she grabs the hand of the District Six girl and walks away over towards the survival station that's only a couple feet away. I stand there stiff and still as I watch the girl from District Three approach the two.

''You're ruthless, aren't you?'' Three asks. Ten just nods her head and continues walking until her shoulder is grabbed by Three. ''Hey, I was wondering if I could join your alliance? I saw you and the District One girl talking a couple of days ago, along with Six over here, and I want to be part of it.''

''What are you talking about?'' Ten asks. ''There's nothing going on here. If you're talking about an alliance, this isn't one. It's just a mere truce that we're setting until the Bloodbath is over, okay?''

She continues to walk until Three speaks up again. ''Yeah, definitely. I overheard you guys talking. Don't play dumb. Just tell me what I have to do to enter this alliance of yours.''

''Come on, Mickaela,'' Anaya begs. ''She already knows. Let's just let her in.''

''Fine!'' Mickaela sighs. ''If you want to join our alliance, I suggest that you got over there towards Carter and hit him with your spear.''

''That's all?'' the girl looks puzzled. ''Oh, I've been wanting to do that for the longest time, and now you've just given me the perfect reason to do so.''

I watch as she walks over towards Carter and Cia. I walk closer towards them both, but the sound of two people chatting is what draws in my attention. Levi, the boy from Five, is talking to the girl from Twelve. They were talking about something really important a couple minutes ago, and I decided to listen. Sure, it's eavesdropping, but I really need allies. And if they're planning on becoming allies, I want to join.

''I'm curious as to what the Arena is, too,'' says Levi, holding up his throwing knife. ''I'm not sure what it is this year, but I've heard rumors from my mentors. They said it might be a combination of previous Arenas, but I'm not sure.''

''Really?'' says the girl from Twelve, excitedly. ''That's pretty cool! I just hope that the gamemakers aren't too rough on us this year. Maybe they'll go easy because we're being revived. I just hope that the mutts aren't too vicious.''

''Yeah, right,'' Levi chuckles. ''Or they'll go rough on us because we've been through this once before. And with the mutts, I just hope that they aren't too carnivorous. That would suck if packs came swarming at you, you know?''

''Yeah,'' she sighs. ''I've been wondering, and I know I might regret this, but do you want to be allies?'' I look up in shock. Are you kidding me? Why is everyone able to find allies, and I'm not? I'm shocked that she actually stepped up and asked. This is just... Today's not going my way at all.

''Definitely!'' says Levi excitedly, holding up his hand for a high-five. ''Don't worry, I'll protect you. I promise I've got your back. You can trust me.'' She smiles and then quickly hugs him. The two smile at each other and continue to talk.

Wow... That's just... Wow. I sigh as I turn my head over towards Carter and Cia. They both seem to be getting along. The other day, Carter was talking about how he'd plunge a knife into Cia's throat. Now the both of them are basically best friends. They've been doing a lot of what friends do – laugh, talk, and help each other out.

''Yeah, so then I told that bitch to back the fuck up, you know?'' Carter says.

''Right!'' Cia agreees.

''And then she started picking me up and dusting me off during the Train Rides. Can you believe that hoe? She had the nerve to make fun of me and shove cookies in my mouth, but when we finally got to the Capitol, that bitch started dusting me off and making fun of all the girls who were cheering me on.''

''Are you for real?'' Cia asks. ''Your mentors such a whore.''

''I know!'' Carter agrees. ''And then I told her that I wasn't into cougars and that she needed to find someone around her age. But, you know. That bitch was around three hundred forty-eight, so she wasn't gonna find shit-''

A spear stabs Carter straight through the shoulder. He starts cursing and yelling out. His screams are full of pain and anguish. I can't help but close my eyes as he continues to scream. The spear rips out and then hits him on the face and then lower towards the neck. He falls to the floor, rubbing the parts of his body that hurt.

The girls from Ten and Three both start laughing and then walking with each other towards the girl from Six. I can't help but let out a light chuckle, but I honestly feel bad for Carter. Look at him over there, squirming on the floor and reaching his hand up to Cia for help. Cia just stands back and starts whistling to himself as Carter continues to scream.

''OH, FUCK, DUDE!'' his screams echo throughout the arena. ''THAT BITCH HIT ME RIGHT IN THE SHOULDER, THE SEXY FACE, AND THEN THE NECK! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT SHIT HURTS?! OH, FUCK!''

He starts to pick himself up. As soon as he's on his two feet, he sticks his middle finger up into the air. ''FUCK YOU, BITCH! OW! I'M GONNA SLAP MY BALLS ACROSS YOUR FACE! YOU STUPID WHORE!''

''Wait, wait, Carter!'' says Cia. ''She hit you with the spear for a reason. Do you know what that means, dude? Come on, you gotta know what that means!'' A smile crosses Carter's face as he soon realizes what nobody else besides Cia in this Center does.

''She wants the D!'' they both shout out at the same time. After that, Carter starts walking as he holds onto his shoulder and neck. He looks up at Cia as he they dap; Carter using his injured hand. He lets out a painful scream and then looks up at Cia.

''You little bitch!''

''Hey, watch yourself, you little fuck!''

They both begin to laugh and then it faints. I'm quite shocked by their relationship. W-Who does that? I'm not sure what to say anymore, to tell you the truth. If anything, these two absolutely deserve each other. From hell, I might even add. Looks like Janet has someone who she can compare herself with.

A light hand taps on my shoulder, making my turn around quickly. I look straight into the eyes of Levi as he smiles at me. ''I was just wondering if you'd like to join an alliance with Sashen and I? I know that we don't know each other at all, and we've never spoke before, but I've seen you practicing and looking at us, so I wanted to-''

''YES!'' I completely cut him off. I grab his arms and then wrap him into a tight hug. He grunts a little as I finally loosen the grip, but only to get pushed in by Sashen—who I believe to be the girl from Twelve—and wrapped into a much tighter hug.

Yes, I've got an alliance. I've actually got an alliance!

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy, guys! So somehow I actually got this up, and I honestly don't know how. I have no life on Saturday's when I should, sadly. Well, not today at least, so this chapter was definitely in order for me to write. I think this is the first back-to-back chapter update that I've had! That's pretty exciting. In my opinion, at least. Especially considering that they were both written in one day. Sigh ...I need to go outside or something today. Luckily, it's not too late.**

 **I have no idea why the hell I wrote four POV's this chapter. I wanted to try something new because I thought that I only had seven more tributes who needed a POV left. Sadly, I was so wrong. Turns out that I only had six. And if I only wrote three, it would've been Enigma, Hero, and Seraphina. Yay... I wrote an extra POV for nothing. It would've been much better to have just three POV's this chapter, and then three the next, but oh well.**

 **The final two tributes left to write and then everyone can have a free POV! :D Paisly and Julio. Sorry to Music and Cloe for making you guys wait so long. I know, I'm a dick for writing them both last, but I do have big plans for them. One will be getting a POV during the bloodbath. That's another thing. If I write your tribute a POV during the bloodbath, that doesn't mean that they're gonna die. Especially if I get them last during the Pre-Games. Everyone who I plan on killing the bloodbath's POV's have all been written so far, so at least two people know that they're safe.**

 **Yeah, I lied when I said I had enough bloodbath's. Unfortunately, I think I'll add two or three more tributes. Don't be pissed at me if your tribute dies. I'll only kill them as bloodbaths if you either gave me permission and said if I wanted to, or if you haven't been reviewing, which has only been one person, so everyone's safe! :) Also, if I do kill your tribute, please don't get mad. The games are starting sooner than I honestly thought. I never expected to get into the Training Days within one and a half month of writing this story.**

 **You guys asked for more character development, and I realized that I wasn't doing much of that. I was saving development for after everyone got their POV's, but I guess I've showed enough of everyone's personality so far, even though not everyone's gotten a POV, and need to start progressing on that more. I think I did a good job at a couple of these tributes so far, so let me know how I did. Your guys' opinions always matter to me, and they only help me better this story for your enjoyment. So please let me know what you'd like me to do if what I'm doing right now doesn't appeal you.**

 **Also, you guys did ask for more dialogue, which I was kinda surprised to see. I hope that I did a good job with showing you guys how some of these tributes interact with each other. Especially the careers. That was quite fun to write. Well, that's all for now. I hope that it was a good read, so onto the questions! :3**

* * *

 **Did you enjoy the interactions between the tributes?**

 **What's your favorite team name? Real or wished.(will be listed down below)**

 **Least favorite team name? Real or wished.**

 **Would you stab a spear into Carter's shoulder to join an alliance?**

 **Your immature partner spits water one you. Do you do anything about it and what do you do?**

 **Your career alliance doesn't really seem to enjoy each other and you feel a bit threatened by your allies. Do you leave or stick along for the ride?**

 **What would you do if you were in Nathan's circumstance?: no allies, told to attack your Satanic partner, watching as others got along well and ultimately failing to find someone who will take your pity and accept you as an ally?**

* * *

 **That's all for today. So happy that I got this up. I didn't think that I would, but hopefully the four people getting POV's was alright. I'm now thinking about writing multiple POV's during the Bloodbath, so maybe that'll go well. Hopefully this chapter did. I'm not too proud of it, but I like it nonetheless. The job was done... So, that's all for now. I have the names of all the alliances that have been made and the alliances that I would've, or could've, made if I decided to make them myself. Well, dream alliances that I thought of. There will definitely be more, but for now, the ones below are the only ones I've thought of so far. Anyways, see you all next chapter. Bye! ^^**

* * *

 **Real**

 **Fuck You Guys: Hero, Isha, Asyrin, Seraphina, Domino, and Enigma**

 **This is Overwhelming: Levi, Nathan, and Sashen**

 **Sorority: Parvati, Paisly, Anaya, and Mickaela**

 **Boy Toys: Challis, Lark, and Julio**

 **From Hell/Goals/Fuck Everyone Else/Suck My Balls/Suck My Ass: Carter and Cia**

 **Fake**

 **Can't We Be A Thing?: Parvati and Hero**

 **I Like This Guy: Hero and Asyrin**

 **Leader and Recruit: Asyrin and Seraphina**

 **Not Interested: Isha and Julio**

 **Bow Down, Peasant: Paisly and Carter**

 **The Classic Love Story: Domino and Enigma**

 **Bloodthirsty Much?: Asyrin and Quartz**

 **No, I'ma Beat YOUR Ass!: Asyrin and Brysia**

 **Not Very Friendly: Mickaela and Julio**

 **We Could Probably Get Along If You Weren't Such A Slut And Reminded Me Of My Mother: Parvati and Isha**

 **Do You Like Branches?: Eudora and Orion**

 **I Like The Way You Play The Games: Orion and Mickaela**

 **Aiming To Kill Carter: Everyone Except For Cia**

 **King And Queen: Carter and Candice**

 **Lord Satan: Candice and herself**

 **May The Power Of Christ Repel You: Everyone and Candice**

 **Sweet And Innocent: Anaya and Nathan**

 **I'd Kill You If I Had The Chance: Asyrin and Isha**


	15. I Hope You Enjoyed My Performance

**Private Sessions:**

* * *

 **Paisly Flannel, 15;**

 **District Three Female**

The rain poured down the side of the window, soaking the beautiful, enchanted grass on the ground. The stream's of the water level rose and threatened to overflow and push these windows open. The tree branches swayed back and forth, forming long shadows as the sun descended, claiming itself to the night sky. Darkness crept over the light.

Staring up at the clock, I realize that it's about time for us all to be kicked out of the Training Center. My grip tightened on a spear as I anticipate the moment that they tell us to leave. It's ten till five, so I might as well just place my weapon down.

''Hey, guys,'' I say, strolling over towards Mickaela and Anaya. ''What's up with Parvati? Is she in our alliance or not? I mean, she's always walking over here and being kind, but then she's always walking back towards the careers and ignoring us. What's the deal?''

''She's trying to not let them know what's going on,'' sighs Mickaela, her eyes darting to the left and staring at Parvati as she does her last-minute training. My eyes focus on the girl swinging her meteor hammer closely and perfectly at the dummies. ''If you want to, you can go confront her about it.''

Moving my head left and right, I deny her offer. I'd like to stay on Parvati's good-side. After all, she could be my maker in these games, but I don't plan on that happening. Knowing that I've slept for over a century and that they brought me back to compete again just makes me want to be the maker this time around.

Sure, I'll play that warm and nice girl on the outside, but the inside of me is just raging with anger. The heated fire that I feel inside the pit of my stomach is just waiting to shoot out of me and unleash havoc upon everyone. This stupid nice personality of mine on the outside is just a game to fool the Capitol and wrap them around the fingers.

Those sponsors that'll be scattering all around the arena will be some of the most amazing that we- I mean, I receive. Don't get me wrong, I love my allies, but if I have a chance to boost my popularity in the Capitol to the point where they shower me with sponsors that will ensure my safety, I'm gonna take it over allies any day.

''Don't do it, Paisley!'' quietly shouts Anaya, her eyes sparkling in the vivid light that flashes over us all. Her eyes locked on mine, with me trying to avoid eye-contact with her. She takes a step closer, placing a hand on my shoulder, the expression on her face brightening up the room. ''It's fine. She's just trying to ensure our safety so that the careers don't come after us. You can trust her, right?''

My head involuntarily moves up and down. My grin slowly moves up, trying my hardest to reassure Anaya that I'm fine with Parvati doing what she thinks is right. ''Y-Yeah, I trust her,'' my lie fills up our entire area. By the look on Mickaela's face, she understands that I'm lying. As soon as I try to open up my mouth again, another voice interrupts and screams across the Training Center.

''Tributes, please make your way out of the Training Center!'' I thought the voice was coming from a shouting human, but it was from the intercom above. I slowly tilt my head to the left, turning my gaze towards the Head Gamemaker. ''Once again, tributes, please make your way out of the Training Center and please sit down on the mahogany chairs. Thank you.''

The mumbling of tributes fills up the air; Carter and Cia being the loudest tributes. I have no idea what they're talking about, but I know that it has nothing to do with training. I overheard Carter say something about how he was robbed from his games and Cia about how he should've won his games. Honestly, neither of them are gonna win these games. Carter is too disliked by others, so he'll be targeted by multiple others, and Cia is just too naive.

As I swiftly pass through the double-doors of the Training Center and make my way over towards the chairs, I notice that everybody else is casually talking. The careers have all taken their seats, and so have many other tributes. Everyone who's in an alliance is sitting next to each other, even though we're supposed to be sitting by the number of our Districts from One to Twelve.

Carter takes a seat next to me, staring at the career tributes who all speak to each other about mindless things. His face leans closer towards mine, trying to get a closer look at them all. I tilt my head back a bit to avoid his face meeting contact with mine. He seems so interested in the conversation that the careers are having. He puckers his lips as the girl from Two and boy from One both start giggling. When did they know each other so well?

Carter's expression changes as he sees the two whisper in each others ears. I never expected to see her so happy, since she usually keeps to herself. Looks like someone finally got her personality to come out, and who better than Hero to bring it out of her? The boy's so immature and clumsy that you can't help but smile whenever you see him, even when you're upset.

Carter lets out a small growl as he gets up and starts to walk towards them until he gets tripped by Asyrin, who sits right next to me. Carter's face skids against the marble floor with me just hoping that maybe—just maybe—it'll cause some type of damage to him.

Sadly, it doesn't. He quickly picks himself up, dusting the dirt off of his Training Attire. Looking straight at the two of them—trying his best to look strong—he begins to ridicule Hero about being immature. The words he spits out only seem to make Hero laugh. I'm not sure if it's because he's so immature, or because this is some type of way to indicate that he's a target at the bloodbath. You know, some career type stuff.

As Hero continues to snicker and Carter continues to brag about how fabulous he is, an arm grabs his shoulder and pulls him back. The arm of District One's latest Victor. Twenty-four pair of eyes all turn towards the mentor and the tribute. Carter's eyes widen in shock, but they soon sink back into his sockets. The expression on his face turns into a grin, letting out a light cackle and staring up at the Victor.

''Hello?'' Carter sighs, his eyes pointed straight at Gari. ''Is there something that you need from me or need help with? If not, I suggest you let go before I get the Capitolites and my boy Cia to jump you.''

Gari—unlike other Victors—enjoyed Carter's comment. The laughter that escaped his mouth sort of brightened up the entire room, making everyone else smile. Soon, we all joined in on laughing and all of our eyes met Carter's. He stood there, his hands shaking and his breathing suddenly intensifying.

''You're interesting, kid,'' he sighed, using just a bit of force to make Carter fly towards his seat. After that, he turns his gaze towards me.''This guy your ally?'' Gari quickly turns and asks me.

I hesitated what I was gonna say—which was a first for me—so I just smiled and nodded my head. The pity on his face shows how sorry he is for me. Then again, I'd be sorry for whoever has Carter as a District partner. The kid is just so annoying he makes me want to _kill_ him with my own two hands. He lets out a deep sigh as he watches Gari slowly walk over towards his tributes.

''White people...'' Carter lets out quietly, trying his hardest not to be heard. Gari turns around real quick and slams his elbow into Carter's chest, pressing him against the thin gold encrusted wall, shortening his breath. ''What.. Are... You-''

''What's wrong with my kind?'' Gari asks rapidly, looking back and forth. Everybody looks over towards them, and it's awkward for me. I bet it's equally as awkward for the girl from Four. ''Are you trying to say something offending? You know, with a little bribing, these gamemakers would send any type of mutt after you in the arena. I have a hand in that.. Friend.''

''N-No, I-I d-didn't say a-anything,'' Carter lets out, his face turning blue. ''A-At least you're not b-black and-''

''What?'' a voice calls out from the back of the rows. Standing up is the boy from Eleven. Huh. Funny how I never noticed him before. He stands in an awkward position, looking depressed and all, staring at Carter. ''Is that supposed to mean something?''

''No, bitch.'' Carter replies simply. Gari removes his arm from the boys chest. As the boy breathes, he looks up at the boy from District Eleven. ''Go sit your crusty ass down. Who are you? When were you reaped? D-Don't talk to me, man. You're a nobody in these games. Just shut up.''

How could he be saying something like that to someone with a higher chance of surviving than him? Honestly, Carter is one of the dumbest tributes that I've ever seen in these games. ''Can you guys believe this? Some lame bloodbath is trying to talk to me! Ha! Okay...''

As we all ignore him, a voice on the intercom startles most of us. ''Parvati Hallows, please make your way through the double-doors. Once again, I repeat: Parvati Hallows of District One, please make your way through the double-doors. She lifts herself from the mahogany chair and slowly struts towards the double door, shaking her hips as she moves.

''Parvati,'' Gari interrupts. ''Remember what we talked about? Execute the strategy properly." Parvati gives him a simple nod and continues walking towards the door. As she opens it up, everyone stares. I'm not sure what it is about her, but I don't trust her. She just doesn't seem like someone who would get along with our alliance. I don't know, but I need to go speak to Anaya.

Leaving my chair and letting Carter sit in it, accompanying Asyrin, I quickly make my way towards Anaya. I press my hand against her chest as she tries to sit down in the seat that I was planning on sitting down in.

''Hey, Paisly!'' she says in that cheerful voice of hers. My grin widens as I sit down next to her, doing my best to keep her from distrusting me. ''Did you need something?''

''No, not really,'' I respond, my voice calm and steady. ''I was just curious as to what our alliance strategy is.''

''What do you mean by that?'' Anaya asks, not seeing what I'm trying to say. ''Is there anything specific that you wanted to suggest? If so, we could always ask Mickaela or Parvati, if that's fine by you?''

''No, no, that's not what I meant,'' I turn my head to the left, trying my best to make sure that she doesn't see my frown. As I do that, Parvati walks out of the double-doors smiling kindly at everyone as she walks towards the elevator and waves at us. ''I mean, what are we going to do when the alliance splits?''

''It won't split,'' she says in a confident tone. ''We're friends, aren't we? Why would we split up with each other? I thought it was sisters until the end? You know, when only one of us is able to return home after three of us die, then that's when we split up. I thought that was how it went, right? Or am I wrong?''

''Hero Kane, please make your ways through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Hero Kane, please make your way through the double-doors.''

The immature boy picks himself up as he holds the hand of the girl from Two, slowly letting it go and laughing with her at the same time. I'm curious to know if they're a thing. Huh, isn't that funny? Revived love. Weird.

''Anaya,'' I sigh, doing my best to get her on my side. ''We can't trust Parvati. You see her relationship with Mickaela, right? I know that you do. Parvati is slowly getting Mickaela to agree with her, trying to turn her against us. If we don't plan something out now, then they're gonna kill us. And believe me when I tell you this, but when our alliance splits, I want you to survive and leave with me.''

''T-That's not true, Paisly!''

''Shh!'' I warn. ''Keep your voice down! Mickaela will overhear us and tell Parvati. And why wouldn't that be true, Anaya? Look at them! Mickaela is the leader of this alliance, and Parvati entursts that role to her. Parvati has more skill than me, you, and Mickaela all combined. They both get along, and when our alliance splits, Parvati's gonna kill. And when she does, the two of us are gonna be the first ones dead.''

As soon as I say that, Hero walks out of the Training Center with a grin on his face. He slowly walks over to the District Two female and gives her a reassuring smile. His arm gently reaches out for hers as he gives her a gentle squeeze.

''Isha Levine, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Isha Levine, please make your way through the double-doors.''

''I-I guess you're right, but I don't want to believe it!'' Anaya says sadly. I feel for the girl, but I just don't trust Parvati. Telling her fibs might work. In fact, I don't even know if they are fibs. By the looks that Parvati gives us, what I'm thinking might just be true. ''They're out friends, though!''

''Sweetie, in the games, there are no friends,'' I tell her the truth. ''It's kill or be killed.''

''So, what's your plan?'' she says sniffing.

I thought she'd never ask.

* * *

 **Julio Calline, 18;**

 **District Ten Male**

Isha gets up as she leaves her seat to enter the Training Center. She slowly opens the doors as she takes one more look at Hero. A smile crosses her face as she goes through the double-doors and begins her session. I'm curious as to what they're all doing. Honestly, I'm not sure of myself doing well in these Private Sessions. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I'm not prepared. I just need more training.

I'm not even sure if I want to stay in the alliance. Yeah, I invited Lark into it, but I was so hesitant. I'm just not sure if the two of them like me. If they don't, I could be dead at the bloodbath. I don't know, I feel as though I should just end the alliance right now.

Just thinking about it... I'm just not sure anymore, but I want to continue it. The alliance, I may not be sure of, but I definitely know that I want it to continue, and I won't let anyone get in the way of continuing it. If that's the case, I'll just have to kill them in the arena. That's where everything is settled, and that's where I plan on taking lives to make sure that I go back home.

After about five minutes of sitting in silence, I catch Lark's eyes as soon as Isha walks out of the Training Center. She moves happily. Something that I've never seen from here before. As she quickly reaches Hero, who stands there waiting for her, she wraps him in a huge hug and kisses his cheek, instantly making his face turn as red as a tomato.

She's so happy, this girl. She's just sending sparks out like a brush fire, so lit with life. Her eyes could beam anything through a fog. She's so warm with loving that I could put my cold food on her forehead and it'd warm up. When was she ever like this? Seeing her hug that immature boy just brings back so many memories for me.

Like Hero, I was so immature and free, but that was when I was younger. Life was so good; always running around, playing, laughing, and jumping. You know, just doing kid-like things that Hero continues to do, even as a teen. Life was so good back then, but it's not anymore. Everything stopped when I turned thirteen, but here you have Hero continuing his fun, even though he's in a circumstance where he could possibly die... Again!

Dad forced me to be just like him and keep the family honor. It was just so unfair seeing all of my friends outside having fun while I was inside, just staring at them. Honestly, how was that fair? They got to do everything, and I was stuck doing nothing! I still don't understand to this day why I couldn't have fun like they did. Like I once did...

Why?

''Asyrin Katchet, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Asyrin Katchet, please make your way through the double-doors.''

The bloodthirsty boy slowly gets up and walks through the double-doors as he stares back at everyone. Nobody dares move, and the sound of the doors opening echoes throughout the quiet room. This guy... What's with him? His aura is just so different.

Anyway, I still don't get it. The worst part about it was that I had to marry the Mayor's daughter, who I didn't even know. Honestly, it reminded me of what they taught at school: how in the older times back when our country was known as America, and sometime even before that, parents would declare who their children would marry. Whether they liked it or not, they would be bound to that person for life, and that's what happened to me.

I didn't want to marry someone because my dad said I had to. I wanted to marry for love, but unfortunately, I never got the chance to do that. That's just my whole life: being told by my father what to do and having nothing that I can say against it. I've always been told to do anything to get what I want, but I wasn't able to because of my father. If you tell me to do whatever I want to get what I want, I'm certain that you wouldn't decide anything for me. I didn't want the mayor's daughter; I wanted Brienne, my childhood friend.

Darin was the name of the person who I was forced to marry. She didn't give a damn about me—while Brienne did—but I still wasn't able to be with her. Why do I have to be with a person who doesn't give a shit? Even though I was forced to propose to her, I still defied by dad. Hanging out with Brienne felt amazing, just knowing that I could be with her again. Being with her physically was just purely amazing, but also knowing that I stood up to my father made me happy.

Isha and Hero smiling and talking to each other like that just reminds me of Brienne and I. I know that I love Brienne, and hanging out with her just takes my mind off of things. Even now, I'm thinking about her while being in the same games that killed me the first time. As I died last time, my final memory was of her.

But it was quite surprising—coming home from a date with the person that you love, just to find out that your fiancee is pregnant—honestly. Darin announced to the entire family that she was pregnant, which was an absolute shock to me. Sure, I know that she didn't love me—at all—but I promised to take care of that child. No matter who's child it was, I wanted to raise it with the best of my abilities. I couldn't just let the baby grow up to a person like Darin, who would raise the baby to be uncaring of others.

If I win, I could go back to Ten and live the life that I wanted: with Brienne, and the child. Although she knows it's not hers, I know that she'd love helping me out with it. She's just so loving, and I can't help but admire her. Having another chance to stay with Brienne is what I want, and it's what I got. Trust me when I tell you that I'm not wasting this opportunity. I have to win.

Seeing Hero and Isha like that reminds me of Brienne and I. I just miss her so much, and I can't stop thinking about her. My mind always wanders off towards her appearance. Her dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. I can't help but miss those features of her so, so, so much.

''Julio?''

''Yeah?'' I snap out of my thoughts.

''Paisly Flannel, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Paisly Flannel, please make your way through the double-doors.''

My head shoots up to see Asyrin stride into the room, his fists clenched and jaw tightened—he's mad-and everyone stopped and stared. Paisly slowly slips past him, trying her hardest not to make contact with him but a slight touch causes him to turn around and snatch her by her hair. He whispers in her ear as he pushes her into the double-doors, forcing her inside of the Training Center.

Through the corner of my eye, I notice a bit of blood dripping from his hand. He clenches his fist tighter and tighter as he moves past Isha and Hero, who stand right in front of the elevator. Looking at Lark, I grow curious as to what's on his mind. _He doesn't like me, does he?_

''J-Julio, I-I-''

''Spit it out, dammit!'' I say a little too loud. Challis' head quickly jolts to the left, staring at the both of us. I feel as though he's about to come near us, but I know that Lark's always wanted to tell me something and now he has the chance. I just hope that he doesn't waste this time that I'm giving him. Usually I wouldn't be so interested in it, but I'm curious as to why he's so anxious to tell me something.

''I-I don't t-think that w-we should trust Challis.''

''And why not?'' I ask.

''Well, because he t-told me that-''

''If you guys want to talk, I can just switch seats with one of you.'' Mickaela says as she sways her head left and right, looking at the both of us. I nod my head as Lark gets up and switches seats with her, making the conversation more comfortable for not only us, but for her, too.

''Now, what did he tell you?'' I ask, thinking that it's something horrible. _Does Challis hate me, too? What did I ever do to him? I'm just not sure that he likes me, and I just don't think that he does._ ''Is it something bad? Something horrible? What is it, man?!''

''Enigma Lilac Brine, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Enigma Lilac Brine, please make your way through the double-doors.''

I didn't even realize that they already called Carter and the pair from Four. Enigma slowly gets up, looking at the end of the hallway towards where the careers are all standing. She pushes through the double-doors in a shy way that shows you that she's nervous.

''Listen, Julio,'' Lark demands, his voice going from kind to serious in an instant. ''Challis isn't who we think he is. He's just someone who's trying to use us for his own gain. He asked me to kill _you_ at the bloodbath with him.''

I let out a light chuckle, drawing the attention of Challis. He stares straight at Lark, his eyebrows slowly descending to put on on an angered expression. ''There's no way that Challis would be thinking of doing something like that. After all, we invited him into the alliance, so why would he want to break it up so quickly?''

 _He does want to kill you, because he doesn't like you._ No, no. I just have this terrible feeling that it's true, even though I don't want to admit it. _You should listen to Lark. He's right, you know?_ Is he, though? Can I honestly trust him?

''Challis Damask, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Challis Damask, please make your way through the double-doors.''

He gets up to walk into the Training Center. By now, half of the tributes are back in their apartments. Only a handful of us remain, including Challis who's currently in there right now. ''Lark, you can't be serious? Do you honestly mean that?''

''Yes!''

''Eudora Bayard, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Eudora Bayard, pelase make your way through the double-doors.''

Challis walks out, his eyes focused on the two of us. I'm just not sure what to think anymore. After about twenty minutes of just sitting there and talking, they eventually call Orion, Candice, Nathan, Zahra, and now they're on Lark.

''Lark McGlacen, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Lark McGlacen, please make your way through the double-doors.''

''Hear me, Julio,'' he says, positive in what he's trying to fill me in on. ''Challis wants to kill you. He threatened me, saying that if I didn't agree to kill you, it'd be me who dies. Please, don't do this to me, Julio. Listen to what I'm telling you!''

With that, he turns on his heel and walks straight into the Training Center. I'm stuck here sitting on a chair and thinking to myself. Honestly, what to do here? I'm not sure if I should believe Lark or not, but I know that he wouldn't lie to me. I do have this feeling, and I'm insecure about Challis liking me. It's just not likely that he does, and I'm quite fearful of that.

''Mickaela Robenson, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Mickaela Robenson, please make your way through the double-doors.''

After quite a bit, they finally call me. ''Julio Calline, please make your way through the double-doors into the Training Center. I repeat: Julio Calline, please make your way through the double-doors.''

I stare back at Mickaela as she stomps away, smoke basically shooting from her ears, her face flushed with emotion and anger. As I turn my head to open up the double-doors, it lets out a resounding echo that seemed to fill the entire room. The air condition flowed freely in the air as the open door brought in even more amounts of bright light.

''Good afternoon, Mr. Calline, says the Head Gamemaker surrounded by two other gamemakers. He's young. Almost too young to be a gamemaker. He looks no older than the age of eighteen. By the look of his eyes, he's not exactly happy to be in this situation, at the moment. He's just _different_ from what you'd think a usual gamemaker would be like. ''You've got five minutes to show me what you've learned over the past three days of training. After you finish, I'll determine your Training Score. Having a higher score will further boost your chances of getting sponsors, so please do your best. If there are anything questions on your mind, feel free to ask away before I start.''

''Who are you?''

''Demetri Calderon; Head Gamemaker.''

''That's not what I meant. Who are _you_?'' I sigh, seeing right through his words. He's much more than a gamemaker, and I'm interested to find out who he is.

''I'm a fellow Victor of the Hunger Games,'' he sighs, looking straight at the other two gamemakers who continue to chat and eat their food. ''District Nine's most recent Victor. I won the one hundred seventy-second games.''

''Why are you a gamemaker?'' I ask, curiosity sparking in my brain.

''Our older Head Gamemaker unfortunately died of old age, leaving me to replace his spot. He was a good man, but I was chosen for simply killing the mutts the easiest, and using them as a tool in my Victory Plan.''

''What did you do with the mutts?''

''Simple,'' he states. ''Every time the old gamemaker sent a mutt after me, I would simply tame it and use it to my advantages by using it as a pet of my own, or something to ride whenever my feet got tired. Instead of killing the tributes brutally, I let the mutts have their fun and do that for me. Sure, you could count them as my kills, but that would leave me with more than Gari.''

''How many tributes did the mutts kill, and not you?'' I feel as though I'm annoying him with questions, by the look on his face, but this is interesting. I'm not sure what to think of him. He doesn't seem like a bad guy whatsoever, but there's something up about him.''

''The mutts that I let run free to kill the tributes that I wanted them to killed about twelve tributes. I killed five, which was more than every career combined. If you want to add the mutt kills to my kills, that gives me seventeen kills, which is two more than what Gari had.''

I look straight up at him. I don't say this often, but he's earned my respect. ''Now if you will, can you start your-'' I cut him off.

''Doesn't it bother you that people think of Gari as a better Victor than you, especially knowing that you had more kills?''

''No, Mr. Calline. Now are you going to begin? I would hate to give you the score of a _0_ , considering that you seem like a tribute with potential,'' he says. ''Now, if you will-''

''Just one more question, please!'' I beg.

''What is it?

''Who won the one hundred seventy-first games?'' I ask, wanting to know the answer to this question. I look straight up at him, my lips quivering, but not with fear. More of excitement to find out who. Just learning about Victors, something that I wouldn't think of ever considering, just excites me.

''That question, you should ask to your mentor,'' he sighs, looking at the clock. ''Now I'm going to start the timer, and if you don't do anything by the time these five minutes are up, I'll unfortunately have to give you a _0_. Now, please start, Mr. Calline.''

The timer starts as I stand there and look around. Dummies and holograms and maybe even some survival skills. As I walk over towards the throwing knives rack, I spot Demetri carefully watching me as he leans against the table top on the second floor.

Let me think about this for a moment. What I'm planning on doing is asking for two holograms to come after me, both put on outer District setting. Before that, I'm going to just throw knives at the dummies. Once those two are done, I'll throw two knives at the wall that's connecting the first and second floor together, run towards it and land my foot on it, and after all of that is done I'll throw them both at the holograms. With the time left, I'll do some survival skills. The only thing is if I fail with throwing, it reduces my score by plenty. And if I kick myself off of the wall and miss, I'm doomed to get lower than a _5_. Failing the survival section would also destroy my score. There's too much at stake, but completing what I set myself to do is what I'm gonna do. I want at least a _7_ and I'm getting a _7_.

''Three minutes, Mr. Calline.''

I quickly pick up a stack of eight knives, four in each hand. I quickly toss the first on heading towards the head of the dummy, but ultimately failing to hit where I aimed. It hits the dummy in the throat instead, making the Head Gamemaker look at me in consideration. I do my best to continue this streak as I flick another one hurdling straight towards the stomach.

Target hit this time.

The next four knives all hit where I want: the chest, heart, stomach, and abdomen. My seventh knife, however, doesn't hit the target at all, landing itself on the ground right in front of the dummy. I cringe back a little, trying my hardest not to become too nervous. The drip of water that slowly slides down the side of my face makes me feel rushed. My body starts to heat up a bit, even with the air condition in here.

As I wipe it away, I throw another knife at the heart of the dummy, hitting it perfectly. I can hear a grunt in the background, making me think that the Head Gamemaker is either a little upset or a bit pleased with what I'm doing. The next two knives perfectly insert themselves inside of the dummies throat, gushing the fake foam blood out of it's neck.

''Two minutes, Mr. Calline.''

I let out a deep sigh, huffing and puffing my chest. Two knives are taken from the racks by my hands as I throw them straight at the wall that the Head Gamemaker sits above. Once they both hit simultaneously, he looks at me shocked. I ask for two holograms put on the level that outer District tributes usually play at. He lets out a light chuckle as he opens up a tube in the Training Center, and out comes two hologram tributes running at me with knives.

They're quick.

I run forward, my legs basically stepping on three tiles at once as I sprint towards the wall. I finally reach it, jumping up as I press my foot against the wall and jump back, ripping both knives out. I flick my right wrist, sending the knife flying into the forehead into one of the unsuspecting holograms. The other one stares back in shock as I dig my knife into it's head.

''Thirty seconds, Mr. Calline.''

I quickly run over to the survival section as I try my best to take a quick test. I've answered fifteen out of thirty questions and as soon as the timer ends, so does the test. I never got my chance to finish, and because I got one question wrong, I got a forty-six percent.

''Thank you, Mr. Calline. You may now leave.''

I nod my head as I walk out of the Training Center and meet the eyes of the remaining tributes. Nobody here is going to stop me from winning these games this time around. I have to win. I just _have_ to. If I don't, it's all over, and I don't want it to be over. I just want to get back home and be with her. Be with Brienne.

To do that, I'll have to kill. Think of me as how you wish, but it's better to live long enough to see yourself become a villain than die as a hero.

* * *

 **Gari Salvator, 19;**

 **District One Mentor**

As I stare out the window, the rain continues to press against the window. From below, you can see Capitolites running through the rain. The little children holding up axes and pretending to stab each other in the necks with them. One little boy kicks a girl in the stomach and slams his fake axe down on her head. The look on her face as she pretends to die and lie down in the rain just brings a smile across my face. That kid's going far.

The sun descends as children are rounded up by their parents and begin to walk home in the rain, letting the moon take its place as it rests. Over the small hills and vast area of water, you can see the nightlights of multiple homes begin to spread. It's almost like a forest fire, when you think about it. Everyone's anticipating what's being shown on television tonight.

We finally get to see the scores, and that's something I'm excited about. There's no doubt in my mind that Parvati will easily get an _11_. Knowing Reese, Hero won't get anything more than a _7_. Once the both of them see how well I've trained Parvati, their mouths will drop to the floor. Oh, the looks on their faces will be priceless.

''Hey, Parv,'' I call out, still looking out of the window. ''Where's Hero? Wasn't he still with you and the careers back when you finished?''

''I don't know,'' she admits. ''I left the Training Center and came up here as soon as I finished my private session. All I know is that I last saw him talking to Isha.''

''Talking to Isha?'' Why would Hero be talking to Isha? I know that they're allies, but she's so withdrawn from everyone else that it's hard to imagine anyone having a full on conversation with her. ''Why?''

''I'm not sure,'' she says. ''I guess they've gotten to know each other. Honestly, I'm glad, because if she's friends with Hero, maybe I can convince her into getting him to distract Seraphina at the bloodbath so that I can kill her.''

''You're still holding a grudge against her, aren't you?'' I ask her, even though I know the answer to that question. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the Four girl that much, either. She just doesn't fit my liking, unlike every other career. Seeing Parvati kill her would actually be quite amusing.

''That bitch needs to die,'' she says in a strict tone as she takes steps towards the counter. I turn my head to see her sitting on the couch and turning on the television. The look on her face shows how serious she is, and how bad she wants to get her revenge. Good, good. That's exactly what I want to see from her. Seeing her turn her emotion into anger is exactly what I want. ''And I'm gonna kill her, no matter what anyone says.''

''But how are you gonna do that when you're not allying with the-''

As soon as I'm about to finish my sentence, Hero comes in through the elevator and walks into the main lobby as he waves at us. Parvati gives me a look telling me to shut up as Hero gets closer to us. He sits down on the chair, his face red and his cheeks puffed out. Parvati and I share a glance, then I smile at Hero as I take a seat next to him.

''Where were you, Hero?''

''W-What? Me?'' he looks around, sweat dripping from his forehead down to his chin, slowly dripping off. ''I-I was just at the District Two floor, accompanying Isha to her suite.''

All eyes turn to him. Even Reese steps out of her room after she heard what he said and stares straight at Hero, a smile crossing her face. I watch as she skips over and grabs his shoulders as she stares at me. ''Why were you accompanying her there?''

''N-No reason,'' he tries to lie, but we all easily catch on to his false words. It's obvious that he might have feelings. I mean, Parvati flirts with him all of the time, and he gets nervous, but it's never been to this extent. Looks like he has some real feelings. ''I j-just felt like being nice and-''

''Hero!'' Parvati says in a sweet tone. I stare up as she slowly walks towards Hero, wrapping him in a tight hug as she kisses his cheek and brings his face right in front of hers. ''You won't let Isha take you away from me, will you? You know I'd be sad without you, right? I love you.''

''I-I-I... I-I-''

''Hero, sweetie,'' Parvati says after another kiss to his cheek. God, this girl is good. I know exactly how to work my tributes. If she continues to do what she's doing now, just like I told her, then she's a sure fit to be loved by the Capitol. The surplus amount of sponsors that she'll receive in the arena will be enough for her to win two games in a row. ''Please tell me that you would choose me over Isha any day, now. You would, right?''

Keep it up, Parv. When the time arrives, you'll bring us another Victor here in One. I just hope that when Hero realizes her plan, he won't try to attack her. Honestly, if a fight came down between the two of them, Parvati would easily win. Hero's too childish, so there's no way that he'd be able to stand a chance against my superstar over here.

''Yeah, Hero,'' I jump into the conversation. ''You would choose your own District partner over some girl from Two, right? Don't tell me that you're thinking about leaving Parv for Isha.''

''Uh...'' he sweats. That puts another smile across my face. That liquid. That's the liquid of fear. Hero isn't someone to do much in the games this year. He'd sweat while holding a knife up to someone's throat, like a disappointing career. If he sweats over some stupid love topic, then he'd definitely sweat when pinning someone in a life or death situation.

''Hero, you can tell m-''

A splash of water comes hitting my face, soaking not only my clothes, but also my hair! Steam rises from my ears like a steam pot as I slowly get up to approach Hero. My hand shoots up into the air in a quick motion, finding the perfect angle to hit Hero in the temple. As soon as I swing it down, Reese's arm grabs mine and flips me over the couch.

''You're not hitting my Victor.'' she says with a chuckle. Hero and Parvati also start laughing, which makes my temper soar to the sky. As I lift myself up, trying to go for another hit as they're all distracted, the Capitol Anthem starts playing, with the television automatically switching to channel of the scores.

''You got lucky you little-''

''Oh, hush, hush!'' says Priscus, the escort who's name I finally decided to learn. She quickly takes a seat where Parvati was sitting and looks straight at the T.V. We all quiet down and join in with her, but I'm still not feeling it from her. She just gives off an annoying vibe. The type of vibe that a tribute I killed during my games poised.

''Welcome all; citizens of the Capitol, and citizens of the Districts,'' Addison Chevel, the interviewer—who absolutely loves her job—says in front of the television cameras. The smile on her face just shows you how happy she is to be here right now. ''Hear my advice when I tell you guys that you _don't_ want to miss this spectacular announcement!''

With a light chuckle, she widens her eyes, showing the peacock colored mascara around them. What a beauty this girl is. If she wasn't into that silly Capitol sense, I might've tried to play my flirt card with her. It's just that stupid design they have. Those idiotic tattoos and the dumb rainbow colored hair. Honestly, what type of fashion is this?

''As you all know, the revived tributes have all been training for the past three days in our Training Center, also known as the skyscraper that's located in the center of our beautiful Capitol. Tonight—the night that we introduce your the scores of these tributes—is the one that you want to pay close attention to, because you might just decide to sponsor one or two of these tributes.''

I might decide to sponsor that ass.

''The Training Scores are rankings given to tributes after their Private Sessions in front of the Gamemakers. They range from _1_ to _12_ , with _1_ being the worst score and _12_ being the best. Honestly now, we all know that nobody has ever gotten a _12_ in almost a century; let alone some revived tributes,'' she snickers, her snorts filling up the entire broadcast. ''The scores give you all an idea of which tributes have the best chance in the arena, and therefore, which ones to bet on and sponsor.''

And with the score of an _11_ , I know that Parvati will be getting the most amount of sponsors in the arena. Who else is gonna get a higher score than my trainee? Honestly, come on now.

''Tributes, Head Gamemaker Demetri Calderon would like to thank you all for taking the time to do your best to earn the highest score that you could get,'' she smiles, looking left and right as if someone's watching her. ''He has taken careful consideration into these scores, and he hopes that you're all happy with them. Now, without anymore introductions, let's begin.''

 _Finally. It's about Goddamn time that you shut that pretty ass up and tell us the scores._ I've been anticipating this for quite a while now, and I'm just ready. I'm pumped, actually. This is going to be amazing!

''From District One, Hero Kane with a score of an _8_.'' she says as a picture of Hero shows up on the screen with him throwing a couple of knives into the air. Hmph, I knew Hero wouldn't get anything better than a _9_. I expected such a low score from someone like him.

''Good job, Hero!'' Reese says, as she high-fives him. There's nothing to be happy about. That's a terrible score.

Hero's picture soon morphs into a picture of Parvati swinging her desired weapon around. ''From District One, Parvati Hallows with a score of a _9._ These District One tributes are doing well for being first deaths, am I right?''

A-A _9_? H-How could Parvati get such a low score? What will people think of me, knowing that I'm the one who trained Parvati?! I trained her and did my best with her, but she only got a _9_. That's one of the worst scores that you could possibly have. What type of bullshit is this?!

''From District Two, Asyrin Katchet with a score of a _10_.'' Addison says as the picture of the bloodthirsty boy from Two throws a mace at a target dummy. I expected more from him. He kinda reminds me of myself. But, still, how the hell could Parvati let someone like him get a higher score than her?!

''From District Two, Isha Levine with a score of a... _10_! Both District Two tributes have somehow both gotten a _10_! Congratulations, District Two.'' The picture of Isha placing her hands on her hips appears, but is soon replaced by the picture of the District Three boy sticking up his middle fingers.

Somewhere on the floor below, I can hear the mentors, stylists, and tributes of District Two all screaming in excitement and celebration because their tributes got good scores. Something that we can't have up here. Something that we've lost because Parvati got a damn _9_.

''From District Three, Carter Abrahms with the score of a... _2_?'' Addison says confused. She begins to scratch her head from confusion, but soon snaps out of it. The boys appearance is soon replaced by his District partner, who just stands there with a smile on her face.

Honestly, though, I expected the boy to get a _0_.

''From District Three, Paisly Flannel with a score of a _5_. Not too bad, Paisly.''

Boring. _5_ is a disgraceful score for my District. I don't see much in this tribute besides the fact that she's a bloodbath, along with her District partner.

''From District Four, Domino Reath with a score of an _8_.''

Again, a terrible score for a Career. Honestly, even if you've just been revived, you should at least be getting a _10_. You've been training for your whole life, dammit!

''From District Four, Seraphina Royal with a score of a _7_.'' she says with a disappointed look on her face. I don't blame her, because I'd also look disappointed with scores like that. These are tributes who've been training for their whole lives, and they're getting pitiful scores like this!

''The scores for District Four tributes are incredibly low this year,'' comments Priscus, who sits there with a glass of whine in her hands.

''From District Five, Levi Wyatt with the score of a _5_.''

Nothing more than what a normal District Five tribute gets. That's exactly what tributes like him deserve. Just thinking about all of these terrible scores makes me want to smash that stupid bottle of whine over Priscus' head.

''From District Five, Enigma Lilac Brine also with the score of a _5_. Both District Five tributes with a _5_. Half the number of the scores from Two, if that isn't obvious enough.''

No shocker there. Wait, isn't that girl from Five in the career alliance? They're definitely gonna rethink this during the bloodbath and decide to kill her. I'm excited about that.

''From District Six, Challis Damask with also a _5_.''

District Six's mentor is complete shit, so I'm not surprised that he got such a terrible score. It's only right for someone like him to get something like that.

''From District Six, Anaya Akira Celtic with a score of a _4_.'' I expected her to get a higher score, since she was trained by Alexias. I'm guessing this was the plan? To fool others into thinking that she's weak? I don't know, but with Alexias' help, this girl might go far.

''From District Seven, Orion Aquarius with a score of a...'' Addison's expression changes from a neutral expression to a wide-eyed smile. She coughs up her drink and then begins to laugh while staring at the camera. Her cheeks turn rosy red as she begins to speak again. ''A score of a _10_. Great job, Orion!''

The picture of the boy, with a genuine smile, holding up an axe behind his head soon disappears into one with his District partner holding a dagger. I turn my head slowly towards Parvati, my fists clenched tightly together. She let someone from Seven get a higher score than her! What the hell was going through her mind during training?! I turn back, and from the corner of my eye, I can see Priscus nodding her head in approval.

''From District Seven, Eudora Bayard with the score of a _6_.''

She was completely blown away by her District partner's score. Honestly, I'm not interested in her. Parvati needs to kill Orion at the bloodbath. And I mean as soon as it begins. No waiting, just get him then and there! I can already hear Chantell and Relmo celebrating with their tributes...

''From District Eight, Nathan Evans with the score of a _4_.''

No surprise there; I've seen that kid train, and he's too soft for these games. Bloodbath.

''From District Eight, Candice Davenport with the score of an _8_.''

Even the satanic chick got higher than one of our fellow Careers. Look at this bullshit! How could Seraphina let someone who cuts themselves and worships a red monster who's dick is on his ass get a better score than her? I'm disappointed this year. Very, very disappointed.

''From District Nine, Lark McGlacen with the score of a _6_.''

Isn't that a normal score for someone from Nine? Or am I mistaken? I don't know, I don't care. It doesn't matter, because I'm still pissed at Parvati for getting such a bitch score.

''From District Nine, Zahra... What's her last name? She has no last name? What the hell do you mean she doesn't have a last name? Everyone has a last name, retard!'' once she realizes that she's still on television, she straightens up and continues. ''With a score of a _5_.''

''From District Ten, Julio Calline with the score of a _7_.''

Someone trained by Jamie should've at least gotten a _9_. That man is a vigorous trainer, and a monster. These scores are shocking.

''Mickaela Robenson with the score of a _4_.''

She's just a little girl, after all. I have nothing more to say. You shouldn't expect much from someone of her figure. She's a small, weak, and fragile girl. She would'nt of gotten a higher score even if she offered to give the Head Gamemaker head.

''Quartz Fields with the score of a _3_.''

Honestly, that's surprising, but by the way he didn't do anything to Carter back outside of the Training Center, I'm not that shocked.

''Brysia Sanders with the score of a _5_.''

Another score that I'm not shocked by. All she does is write in that stupid book of hers. She should've received less, in my opinion. Definitely a bloodbath.

''Cia Arongnan with the score of a... _1?_.'' The picture of the boy with a smug smile soon switches to a picture of his District partner smiling. I'm shocked that he got a lower score than Carter. I'm just curious as to what he did.

''Sashen Baize with the score of a _5_.''

Whoo, big shocker.

''Thank you for viewing in, everyone. This has been the Training Scores. That's our final important broadcast for tonight. We hope that you all enjoyed this special announcement of ours, and we hope to see you all tuning in tomorrow night at the Interviews. Thank you all, once again, and have a wonderful night!''

It's quiet for a bit... Too quiet, and it better be. I can already feel all eyes on me. Everyone here should be disappointed of themselves, especially Parvati.

''Hero!'' I shout, looking straight at him. ''Tell the Career alliance that Parvati is planning on leaving you all! She's not trying to stay with you guys; she's trying to kill you all! After Seraphina dies, she'll be coming for you!''

''GARI!'' Parvati shoots up.

''That's what you get for getting such a low score, bitch!''

''GARI!'' Reese slaps me across the face, her eyes becoming red. They soon turn into bloodshot eyes as Parvati runs into her room. Hero just sits there, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. The only word that comes out of his mouth is _her_ name.

''P-Parvati?''

You may think of me as a monster for putting my own tribute at danger, but she deserves it for getting such a low score. I hope they kill her. I hope they take their time to demolish her. I hope that they make her pay for treason; pay for getting such a low score; pay for being a disappointment.

See you in the Arena, Parvati. Good luck getting sponsors now. Guess who's not going to try their hardest to get people to bet on you? Oh, yeah, me! And guess who's also going to tell others that they shouldn't sponsor you: me.

It's all silent now, and the remaining four of us—Reese, Hero, Priscus, and me—are sitting here in the silent lobby with the television still on. This is what she gets for being such a disappointment. District One doesn't need tributes like her. I hope she's dead in the Arena. So far, she's shown nothing that I've taught her. Getting a _9_. How despicable.

''...Awkwarrdddddd...'' says Priscus.

''Shut up, bitch.''

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy! So this came out way later than I expected it to. It was supposed to come out Thursday or Friday, but those days were busy. Then I promised Saturday, but then I got lazy and when I decided to start writing, all I stared at was a blank page. I just didn't feel like it until today when Nellie reminded me of tea, which made me want to write for some reason. I don't know, but it works, and thank you, Nellie, for suggesting tea. ;)**

 **Also, you guys should check out Nellie's SYOT. It's called Lest We Forget: The 1st Hunger Games. Since I'm giving out cool SYOT's, you guys should check out Reader Castellan's new SYOT: Glass Glade: the Seventieth Hunger Games. I'm in it! :D No, literally. Thank you, 20, for making a tribute out of me. He knows my strengths and weaknesses better than I do. Sadly, I'm at a risk of dying, so that's gonna be interesting to read. Hmm, reading as another writer writes your own death. ...Yeah, that's gonna be interesting.**

 **Also check out Caleb's new SYOT: The 17th Hunger Games: At Wits End. He's done with the Reapings in less than a month and I'm still not in the games yet. I feel quite ashamed of myself for these slow updates. Well, slow compared to him. Anyway, sorry if I didn't show what your tribute did. Like 20 said, it's not important what every tribute does as long as you get the scores. And thank you, Cloe, for giving me the idea of how to write this chapter. Hope you liked the way I wrote Julio! :D And if you guys are wondering why Cia got such a low score, it's because he stripped and tried flirting with Demetri, which didn't go so well for him. Demetri gave him points for trying.**

 **Speaking of Demetri, him or Gari?! O: Like, what? What? Like, w-what? A-Are you for real, bruh? Like, no! Anyway, the rest of this author's note is gonna be irrelevant to the chapter until the questions. So I took a Hunger Games quiz online, right? Yeah, so I finished the test, and it said that I would make the final 6, but die by doing something idiotic. I was... I was shocked, because I see myself as a Victor! :I Like, bruh, come on. I mean, I can see myself getting multiple sponsors because I'd entertain the Capitol. I'd say stupid shit, flirt with the interviewer, male or female. No homo, doe. Try my best to be liked by the other tributes, and I'M LIKABLE, MAN! Aren't I? Tell me I'm likable ;-; Please... NUH! I'm not that conceited. ;/ Also, if you guys thought some tributes should've gotten a higher score, I based this off of what you guys put. By the personalities of the tributes, I gave them a score that I would give if I was the Head Gamemaker. Honestly, nobody was gonna get an 11, because nobody deserved one, but 10 was perfectly normal, in my opinion. Besides that, back to the topic of me in the games.**

 **But I honestly think I'd be able to get a surplus amount of sponsors ;o Would you guys sponsor me? Serious question. G shit, if I was in the Games in 2018 or some bullshit like that, would you guys sponsor me? You guys like me, right? :I Please sponsor me in 2018. You'll see me on T.V. I'll be the 17-year-old black kid with curly black hair who raises his hand up to volunteer, because he's always wanted to go into the games just to see what it's like, depending on what month the games start.**

 **Yeah, that black kid. You'll see me on T.V. One day, fam. ;) Remember that description when 2018 comes and one of you is Reaped with me. We can make a temporary alliance, and then I'll kill you while you sleep so that you don't have to go through pain, and I can get more sponsors. Don't worry, when I'm on the Victory Tour, I'll say kind words about you. ''[insert name here] was the shit, man. Sorry, [insert name here's] fam, I loved them, and they were even in my story a couple of years ago, but I had to win. I mean, real shit here, wouldn't you do the same? Nah, you're the family! Ahaha, anyway, I loved them, R.I.P.'' Sorry if this chapter is ass, I didn't care much for proof reading. ;P**

 **SO BACK TO THE DEATH TOPIC OF ME PLACING 6th. I could see myself doing something stupid, too. Like, I feel as though I'd survive the Bloodbath after multiple careers chase after me, and when there are about three of them left or something, I'd run into their area and start dancing or something. I'd honestly comment something in the words of, ''Suck my balls. Guess who made the final 6 after being chased at the bloodbath by six careers! Me, bitch, me! Uh, that's right, y'all motherfuckers didn't kill me. I survived. Final 6, bitch. Ha ha, suck it. You guys suck balls for careers! Uh, look at my treasure of sponsors, bitch! Look at that. D-Do you see that? L-Like, you jealous, bruh? You didn't get that many! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, suck it, fam!''**

 **Then I'd probably get grabbed by hair and pulled in by some boy from California or Chicago and be dragged on the ground. He'd be like, ''Shut the fuck up, you annoying bitch.'' And then I'd be smiling and dancing as I await my death. I'd be fine with 6th. As long as I'm remembered, it's all good. So anyway, this was the most irrelevant A/N I've ever written, so I hope you guys enjoyed it. Onto the questions. :) OH, AND DON'T FORGET MY CANNON. _BOOM!_**

* * *

 **Anyone you think should've gotten a higher score?**

 **Anyone you think should've gotten a lower score?**

 **Did you like Julio's session?**

 **If you saw me in the games, what would be your first impression? Remember, black kid, hand up, ''I volunteer, bitch!''**

 **WOULD YOU SPONSOR ME IN THE ARENA?! (Answer this carefully, because your tribute just might die at the bloodbath or a painful death if answered incorrectly. Jk... Or am I?)**

 **AM I LIKABLE? D:**

 **Where do you see yourself placing in the games, honestly? I'd probably die at the Feast around 9th or 8th place. I'm hesitant af in hurting people, so there's no way I'd kill. I'd just entertain by yelling in the air. ''ALLAHU AKBAR! ABU AKBAR!''**

 **Could you see me dying by doing something stupid in the games?**

 **Gari or Demetri?**

 **Do you think Demetri should be credited for more kills that Gare-bear?**

 **If you anyone can guess the gender, District, and fate of the Victor of the one hundred seventy-first games, I'll give you guys 1500 sponsor points. I don't think anyone had one hundred seventy-first as their game of death, but if somebody did, I've changed the Victor. So, guess away. ^^**

* * *

 **SO ANYWAY, THIS WAS THE MOST IRRELEVANT A/N I'VE EVER DONE, AND I WAS BEIGN CONCEITED. SORRY, GUYS, I LOVE YOU ALL! That's all for today, and I don't know why the A/N came out like this. I was on a sugar rush for the past hour and couple of minutes, so yeah. Donuts and Orange juice do a lot to you, I guess. Depending on how many you eat. Anyway, that's all for this chapter. See you guys next chapter(and in 2018) Bye! ^^**


	16. Sponsor Magnet, Call Me A Sponsor Magnet

**Interviews:**

* * *

 **Carter Abrahms, 15;**

 **District Three Male**

''Carter, please!'' shouts my idiotic stylist, Indra. God, I absolutely hate her. She has no idea what it's like being back here, and she has the audacity to shout my name and tell me to listen to her?! Bitch, please. Honestly, I should smack the shit out of her. ''Please, Carter! If you go out there looking like that, I'll surely be killed!''

''Is that my problem?'' I say, quickly turning around and staring at my stylist. What's wrong with the way I look? Why should I let my stylist get to decide what _I_ wear on _my_ big day? It's my chance to prove these idiotic peasants that I'm the real deal. If I go out in a crown, it'll show them that I mean business. ''If you die, it's not on me. You wouldn't listen! And if you don't die, it just shows you that I was right and you were wrong! Now, begone, peasant.''

A groan escapes her mouth as I touch my slicked back hair. The gel that she applied to it feels unnaturally sticky, and it's quite uncomfortable. Sure, it makes me look even more handsome than I already am, but there's a point where things can get too uncomfortable. As my hand clutches the crown tightly, I stare in the mirror once more before leaving the room. They'll see exactly how royal I am once I go out there. _And they'll all bow down to King Carter._

Finally, after all the struggles I've been through with this Godforsaken cast, they finally shut their asses up and start listening to who's really in charge here—or, rather, just completely ignore what I say. They better just watch out, though. When I come back and have all the fame and glory, my first act will be to behead them in front of the entirety of Panem. They'll all see.

The bell indicating all of the tributes to walk out and wait for their entry cues rings. Good to know. All of the Capitolites are gonna be tripping over me, when I make my appearance out there. I can already imagine myself posing over their bodies lying on the ground, trying to kiss my feet. Oh, peasants, please, stop it. Ladies first, of course. One at a time. Royal people like me- wait, there's only one person in the world who could be this royal. Who was that again? Oh, yeah, me!

''Carter, please,'' Indra begs, pouting her lips with stars sparkling in her eyes. Honestly, does she think that this retarded act is going to make me stop? If she dies, how does that affect me? Oh, an important stylist for District Three has been executed. Bullshit! They probably have multiple stylists all topped on one another in a tight ass closet, with barely an air left inside of it.

As I flick her off, I begin my walk towards the tribute line that begins to form. All the way in the front is Parvati—my second Queen after Candice—who pretends as if she hates me but secretly wants my body. My lips pucker and make a smooch sound, blowing a beautiful kiss towards her, as she turns around. The gleam in her eyes shows how hard she's trying not to show her love for me, but let's face it, who doesn't love me?

As all the tributes line up, one of the directors' bitches stands in front of us all and tells us to stay put. He continues to look back and forth as he stares at Addison Chivel, waiting for the cue to start. We all hear a click, and security man over here quickly turns back towards us.

''Get ready,'' he says. ''On her note, you start moving first, okay?'' He speaks to Parvati and then begins to tell us all to move one after another. It's lined up in girl-boy order, starting from District One and ending to my boy Cia's District—Twelve.

''Welcome, citizens of the Capitol! Today is a _v_ ery special day, as you may all know. Tonight, the night not only about meeting our tributes personally, but also the night before the games start. I know that you're all as excited as I am, and I can't even tell you how anxious I am to see how these tributes do tomorrow!''

She's so fake.

''You've all been patiently waiting for tonight, and you've finally received it. You'll find out exactly who you want to sponsor and bet on tonight, and we'll all be able to love these tributes—maybe even cry, when we have to see them leave us again. With all introductions out of the way, I present to you the interviews for the one hundred seventy-fifth annual Hunger Games!''

The crowd erupts with roars and cheers like a damn volcano. If they cheer this loud with just an introduction, imagine how they're gonna react when I get out here. As I look behind me, I can see multiple tributes quiver and shaking in fear. Honestly, there's nothing to be afraid about. Everyone here is just scared to be back in the Bloodbath. They better know to stay away from me if they want to live.

''Prepare yourselves,'' says the boring bitch with his finger in his ear; flicking away the wax that was deep inside that hairy ass ear of his. I thought Capitolites were supposed to be pretty and gorgeous individuals, unlike the slobs in front of me.

''All the way from District One, and the grave, let's start the show off with Parvati Hallows!'' We all watch closely as Parvati takes her first steps onto the stage. With the click of her heels, the crowd erupts in even more roars than they did before—almost deafening, actually. My second Queen wears a sexy lace shoulder sheath dress in the color of black. Honestly, the skin that her stylist made her show just turns me on. I can't stop staring.

The see-through dress shows so much that I can't take; she needs to cover up before I pass out; I think I'm gonna faint. Her hair is all curled up in a bun and her nails are perfectly done to match her outfit. If you look close enough, you can see sparkles glistening in her dress with the midsummer evening light reflecting on her body.

''What a lovely dress, Parvati,'' says Addison, smiling as she pinches the dress a bit. ''You look quite stunning in that dress, and I bet all of the boys back there are completely falling for you. Not to mention the Capitol men here.''

Parvati snickers a bit, blowing kisses to the audience. They cheer and jump up even more, throwing flowers at the girl. She slowly picks her self up, bowing and lifting her dress up a bit.

''Parvati, sweetie,'' Addison smiles, her grin looking a bit fake and maniacal. ''Before you leave, can you tell us what your relationship with the careers is? Please tell us what you think of your alliance and how you plan on working with them.''

My side Queen lets out a light chuckle as he expression quickly darkens. She makes sure that the Capitol doesn't see it and quickly responds to Addison. ''Well, I can't spoil too much for you now, can I? All I can tell you is that you're in for a big surprise. And believe me when I tell you it's _big_.''

That's what she said.

The first interview of the night goes amazingly well as Parvati slowly exits the steps, while flowers and other wonderful gifts are being thrown at her. She's getting applause from everyone in the building. My girl sure knows how to work it.

''Next up, her fellow career ally and District partner, Hero Kane!'' We all closely pay attention as pretty boy walks out there in a crimson tuxedo with a pale blue shirt underneath it, complementing the denims that he's wearing. The light that hits it makes the tuxedo glisten even more than Parvati's, and you can basically see your reflection through it. ''So, Hero. Tell us how you feel about your allies. You guys _are_ having a career alliance this year, right? What's a games without the careers?''

''Of course we are, Addison!'' Hero chuckles a bit nervously. You couldn't be able to tell if he was sweating or just dripping with water because of how wet his hair is. The Capitol females are completely falling for him and fanning whenever he answers. ''I love my allies! Asyrin's so fun to talk to, Seraphina is like a little sister to me, Domino is just to type of guy that I can have fun with, Parvati is my amazing District partner, and Enigma is a great add to the mix.''

''What about Isha? Isn't she in the alliance?''

His face turns bright red and his cheeks begin to puff. ''Y-Yeah! Of course Isha's in the alliance. Why wouldn't she be?''

''You didn't mention her, Hero,'' Addison points out. ''Is there something going on with Isha? You seem to be hesitant of speaking about her. Do the careers have trouble this year, or is there something going on behind the scenes?''

''No, no, Isha and I are just friends. That's all.''

''I never said anything about you guys being more than friends, Hero.'' The audience begins to shout at Hero to tell them what's going on. Not in a bad way, though, but in a 'I love you so much, I need to hear this' way. Fucking idiots.

''Uh...'' Hero draws out. ''I'm not normal. I'm crazy. I just about go normal, from time to time. And a little tip? You shouldn't trust me around matches or sharp objects.''

''What?!'' Addison stands up, confused by what Hero just said. As she opens her mouth to speak, a piece of glitter comes flying out of Hero's tuxedo pocket and slaps Addison in the face, making the Capitol light up in laughter. Addison bounces back a bit, catching her balance as she sits down. Her face is covered in glitter and sparkles in the light as she chokes a bit.

Hero quickly exits the stage as the Capitol cheers him on and root for him. His applaud is louder than Parvati's, surprisingly enough.

Addison finally catches her breath and wipes away all the glitter off of her face. She turns her head and stares at Hero, a devious frown crossing her face. ''F-From District Two... I-Isha Levine!''

Isha slowly walks out to the stage in a blue ball gown with black slippers on her feet. They accompany her outfit nicely, and I have to say that she looks sexier than she normally does. I mean, she's nothing compared to my Candice, but she's putting up a fight. Her ponytail is done amazingly, and it's somehow longer than it was before. Honestly, whatever her stylists planned, it worked. It's all curled up and looks like it's swaying in the motion.

''Isha, honey,'' Addison starts, slowly placing her hand over her heart. ''You've been the most withdrawn tribute during these games, and we're honestly sorry that you have to go through this agai-''

''Please, stop,'' Isha says quietly.

''But, honey, we're trying to help you. We know how sad you are about being back in the games that killed you once, and we want to do the best we can to make you feel at ho-''

''Stop!'' Isha demands, quickly standing up. ''I don't want your sympathy. All I want is to get out of these games alive so that I can return back to District Two.''

''What's so special about District Two?'' Addison asks, her eyes widening. She slowly stands up and holds Isha's hand as she looks out to the crowd. ''Would you like to tell us?''

Isha lets out a small sigh as she let's Addison embrace her hand. ''Before death—which was only a couple of years ago—I was knocked up by a boy back in Two named Klaus. That night, I was impregnated by him and nine months later, my baby Colette was born. She's probably watching this right now and thinking of me as a crazy lady who doesn't know what she's talking about, but even though she might find me that way, I still love her.''

''Is that so?''

''Yeah, and winning these games is the only way that I'll be able to get back to her and gain custody of my own child. Klaus took her away from me right after her birth, and I never saw her again since. It's been a tough journey ever since then. And believe me when I tell you I'll do anything to get her back.''

''Would you kill your career allies?''

''Of course!'' Isha admits, her mouth gaping because of the ridiculous question. ''What do you expect? Of course I would. I'd do anything to get my daughter back!''

''Even kill Hero?'' Addison quiets Isha down. Isha stares right into Addison's eyes and then towards the audience, now at Hero. Isha slowly shakes her head as the audience stays quiet. I'm not sure what this means, and neither do these idiotic Capitolites.

''SLUT!'' I shout to break the silence. As soon as I do, a couple of sobs come from the audience as well as weak applause. Even Addison is sniffing. Everyone here is such a pussy! Come on, this girl knew what she was getting herself into and these idiotic Capitolites are buying her sob story.

''Introducing her District partner, who got a splendid Training Score, Asyrin Katchet.'' The audience whistles and claps as the psychotic boy walks out from the line and steps onto the stage. He's had the loudest roar of applause out of anywhere here. Faggot.

''So Asyrin,'' Addison starts, still wiping her fake tears away. ''Tell us how you feel about your allies.''

* * *

 **Challis Damask, 17;**

 **District Six Male**

''My allies? Well, Hero is like a little brother to me; we get along the best. Parvati is a flirtatious hoe, I just want to shove a mace in Isha's face, Domino's an overconfident cunt, Seraphina is the little sister who secretly hates us all, and Enigma... I don't even know why the fuck she's with us.''

''Y-You said you wanted to shove a mace your District partner's face?'' asks Addison, shocked by Asyrin's response. Asyrin simply nods his head and smiles at her. Everyone in the crowd gasps and all start mumbling like a group of kindergarten students who all want something different. ''But you're careers! Shouldn't you get along with one another?''

''Shouldn't you grow real hair?'' Asyrin smiles at Addison. ''Come on. Soon, we're all gonna have to split with each other. I'm not afraid to say it, so I'll tell you straight up that I'd kill every single one of them. There's always that one day when the career alliance splits and we have our own personal bloodbath. When that day comes, I can guarantee you that I'll be the only career left alive to come out of it.''

''But, Asyrin!'' Addison's mouth gapes open, almost as if she's offended by his words. ''They're your family! Well, your Hunger Games family, but still, they're you-''

''Who the fuck are you even talking to?!'' Asyrin quickly jumps up, his fist clenched and jaw tightened. The expression on his face shows you just how mad he is as he threatens Addison. ''Shut the fuck up! Don't you dare bring up the word 'family' in front of me. You don't know anything, Addison! Keep talking that good shit, bitch. If you were in that Arena with me, I could promise you that I'd kill you painfully and slowly! Family my ass.''

Asyrin storms off of the stage as the audience is extremely quiet. Even I don't know what to say about that interview. Doesn't look like anyone's getting sponsors in that Arena. _Focus, man. You're missing the interviews!_

My head quickly jolts to the left as I watch the girl from Three smile kindly at Addison, who continues to look back and forth at Asyrin. I take this time to stare at Three's outfit; she wears a long white dress with the back of it covered in complete black. As I look closer and closer, you can see the Capitol logo with a Three on top of it with gadgets swiftly moving across.

''Of course I'm happy to be back here! Who wouldn't be happy to be in the Capitol?'' Three asks Addison, the smile on her face being genuine. ''I'm so happy to be reunited with all of you, and I'm very thankful. I hope to make you all proud in the Arena this year. And believe me when I tell you that I'll do my best to come out of that Arena alive and be the Victor that you all want.''

''And I bet you will, sweetheart.'' Addison calls out Three's name and applauds her as she walks off the stage. ''Up next, from the same District that brings us all of our electronic goods, Carter Abrahms.''

The applause for this kid is extremely loud. I don't know how anyone likes him, to tell you the truth. He's an arrogant, annoying, overconfident piece of shit.

''Hello, Carter.''

''Whattup, hoe!'' Carter takes a seat next to Addison. ''Why don't you do these Capitolites a favor and skip all the boring questions, okay?''

''W-Well, okay then. How do you feel about your competition?''

''What did I just say, bitch?'' Carter scoffs, crossing his legs and placing his arm over the back of his head. ''If you must know, I think everyone here's a bunch of bitches. Nobody poses a threat besides my boy Cia in the back.''

''Okay...'' Addison draws out. ''Please tell us why you have a crown on your head. Is it something that your stylist planned, or did-''

''Psyche!'' Carter yells out. ''My stylist is a piece of shit. Please execute her as soon as you possibly can. I'm wearing this crown because _I—_ not my stylist—improvised to make me look as royal as I possibly could. But don't kill all of my stylists. Only the main bitch who didn't listen to me.''

''Thank you for that wonderful insight, Carter.''

''No problem.''

''But if we were talking seriously, how do you think your chances of surviving are?'' Addison puffs up her cheeks, waiting for Carter's answer. ''To be honest, it doesn't seem like many of the tributes here like you. Don't you think that will play a factor on whether you survive or not?''

''Ha!'' Carter yells out into the audience. ''Bitch, you got me fucked up. You can suck my left nut, honestly, thinking that anyone here will be able to play a factor in my survival. You know what I think? I think you're just jealous that I get more credit around here more than you do.''

''Why would I be jea-''

''Because, bitch, I'm a king!'' Carter quickly gets up and poses. ''You don't have a high status in this Capitol, unlike me. When you get on my level, then we can talk. But for now, please keep your poor ass on the ground where it's supposed to be.''

As Carter walks off the stage, the girl from Four is called up. I stare up at the monitor above as the girl from Four walks out with a dark blue corset. Underneath it is a ruffled up skirt that matches beautifully with the rest of her outfit. She takes slow steps as she struggles to move in those clean white heels of hers.

Like every other career, Seraphina is asked by Addison exactly how she feels about her career allies. ''I have the same feeling for all of my allies: I respect them. I just hate how _some_ of them are all into this romance bull crap. Please tell me why you would be looking for romance in the Hunger Games! I don't get it. But besides that, I say they're all enjoyable people who anyone could get along with anyone.''

''Are you sure about that?''

''Besides Asyrin, of course.''

''Thank you, Seraphina,'' Addison ends the interview out on a great question. ''What a sweetheart, am I right? And introducing her partner, Domino Reath!''

My eyes are locked right on him as he walks out in a black suit dripping with water. Over it is a dark blue tailcoat that's also dripping in water. As I stare closer, the buttons on his outfit don't seem to be buttons at all. They're actually... jewels? Even the jewels have water slowly dripping out from them. Isn't that interesting? The District Four stylists always go all out during these types of occasions. Why can't the stylists from Six be like that?

This interview just bores me. All they're talking about is how he interacts with his allies and what he thinks about them. Is she gonna ask the same question to everyone? All of the careers have been asked this and it's starting to get fucking annoying. Is she just trying to find out what it's like in each of their perspectives? Because by the way they've all responded, it doesn't sound like they get along too well. Unlike me, Julio, and L-

Lark... Oh, I hate that little bastard! He better watch out at the bloodbath. I'm gonna rip his fucking head off. _Kill him, kill him, kill him! He betrayed you and told Julio. You know he did! End his life as soon as possible!_

''Thank you for the wonderful interview, Domino,'' Addison snaps me back into reality. I didn't even know that they were still talking. ''But before you leave, can you tell me why Enigma's in the career alliance? Isn't it a strange mix to have someone like _her_ in the alliance? I mean, what's the deal? Nobody's telling me anything and-''

''Enigma's in it because I said she could be,'' Domino says in a confident tone, a smile forming on his lips. ''She's a great asset to the alliance, and an even better person. I know that from personal experience.''

''Oh, really now?'' Addison smiles, knowing that Enigma is the next person to be interviewed. ''Thank you for your time, Domino!'' The audience gives him a round of applause as he walks off of the stairs and somewhere towards the elevator. Standing there are the rest of the career allies, and they're all watching carefully as Enigma walks on. ''Introducing the lovely young lady from District Five, Enigma Lilac Brine!''

As she walks on, I can't help but notice how her outfit stands out from all of the others. She looks so uncomfortable in that figure hugging ball gown. The question marks that are scattered all over it make me question what her stylists were going for. The opulent look that the glitter on them give her is intriguing, and on her worn down hair is a tiara made entirely of golf and emeralds. And to add the final touch to her princess-like appearance, she wears crystal clear heels that sparkle on the clear and clean floor of the interview stage. The light hits her at a spectacular angle, making her look so mysterious and introverted.

''Enigma, you look amazing!'' Addison comments. I kind of zone out throughout the interview as I continue to stare at her. It's just... shocking! I never expected to see something like this. Right now, all I hear are thank you's and more compliments.

''Before you leave, would you like to tell us what your relationship with Domino is?'' asks Addison, clearly trying to get something going. ''He told us that he knows you personally, if I'm correct?''

''Yes, he does, Addison,'' Enigma says, clearly blushing. ''Domino and I knew each other when we were younger and we just had a blast. You ever have that one friend that you've always had that personal connection with, but also had your difficulties with and realized that you loved them? Yeah? Well Domino's that friend, and I love him.''

As she walks away, holding her dress up to make sure she doesn't step on it, the audience applauds the crap out of her. Whistles, kisses, and compliments out of the ass are handed to her. As the audience finally settles down, Addison calls up Levi. _Just him and Anaya, then you're up next. Don't screw it up._

''Introducing the cutest tribute here—who's also from District Five—Levi Wyatt!'' What is this woman talking about? Is she hitting on tributes now? Levi walks onto the stage with a smile on his face, waving at the crowd and smiling as they cheer him on.

As he sits down, Addison leans closer towards him and pulls on his gray shirt with stones studded on the line where his buttons are supposed to be. She says something in his ear and compliments the denims that he wears along with the rest of his outfit. As we all wait for the interview, she just continues to compliment his hair and brush her hand over the intricate spikes.

''Levi, sweetheart, how does it feel being the most appealing tribute in the Capitol?'' Addison pinches his cheeks and smiles at him in a seducing way. Levi looks uncomfortable, but he just shrugs it away and smiles at her.

''I-I didn't know that I was, but I'm happy that you guys think of me as appealing.'' He says in a quiet tone. Addison calls him cute and looks out towards the crowd as she continues to ask him how he feels about being so liked and if he has any alliances. ''I do have an alliance, but you'll all s-see them in the Aren-''

''Levi, don't be shy, sweetie!'' Addison tries to rile up the crowd and get Levi to speak. ''Come on! You know you wanna tell us who's in your alliance!''

''Okay, fine,'' Levi gives in, a small smile on his face. The kid is sweet and innocent—too innocent. I'm pretty sure this is his personality. If so, this kid's definitely a bloodbath. Someone this nice won't be able to kill, or be able to keep himself sane after seeing all the blood splattered on the floor at the Bloodbath. ''I've allied with Nathan and Sashen. They're both amazing people, and I'm looking forward to spending time with them.''

''Words of a kind young man,'' says Addison. ''So tell me, Levi. Everyone in the Capitol has heard about your past, and it's said that your father was killed in an accident, your mother was paralyzed, and your brother is in jail. Is that true, honey?''

''Stop, stop!'' Levi quickly gets up, tears welling up in his eyes. ''Stop! Please, don't bring it up. I can't deal with the past. Don't talk about it; it pains me whenever anyone mentions it!''

''But, Levi, we're just trying to help you! Come on, please tell us what you're feelings are. We know that you love them, but don't you want to explore and go deeper into that feeling?!''

''NO!'' Levi shouts, for the first time ever, I believe. He quickly walks off the stage, tears streaming down his face. I almost feel bad for the poor boy, but remembering that he's someone who could get in the way of me winning makes me not care much for him. He'll just get in the way.

Addison tries to get Levi to come back, but he's already gone. I didn't see him look back or saying anything to the crowd, so I'm guessing he went back to his District Floor. You can easily tell that the kid's hurt just by the way he held his breath. His cheeks were all puffed up and the look he gave the crowd was just sad.

''Poor Levi,'' Addison wipes her hand over her face. ''Moving on, let's introduce the cutie from District Six, Anaya Akira Celtic.'' I watch as Anaya looks back at me and smiles as she walks up the stairs and onto the stage. Her flowing dress brushes against the stair steps as she continues walking up. It's quite normal, to be honest. But I'm happy that our stylists didn't try to do something related to vehicles this time around.

As the interview goes on, I barely listen to what they're talking about. It's just that I'm up next and I don't know what to expect, even though I've been listening to Addison ask the same questions over and over again. But who knows? She might ask something completely different and unexpected.

''Do you have an alliance, and if you do, who's in it?''

''Yes, I do!'' Anaya says happily. ''The people in it are Mickaela, Paisly, and P-'' Anaya quickly stops in her tracks, making everyone here confused. I hear a squeak come from the elevator, and as I turn around I see the girl from One's eyes widen. She mouths something and grows angry. Is that someone I see hiding a secret? Interesting.

''What was that, Anaya?'' Addison leans closer to her. ''Were you going to say something else?'' Before Addison can speak again, Anaya shakes her head vigorously and thanks Addison for the interview, ending it herself.

''Well that was awkward...'' Addison looks back to see Anaya running off. ''Anyways, introducing her District partner, Challis Damask!''

As I walk up and take a seat, she grabs my waist coat and starts complimenting it. I wanna smile and say something, but she quickly interrupts me and asks a question that I should've known she would but didn't expect. ''How do you feel about being brought back to life, Challis? Was it shocking? Weird? Please, fill us in.''

''To be honest, when people used to compare me to a cat, I assumed they were talking about my eyes. Not the fact that it seems that I have multiple lives.'' As I finish saying this, the entire crowd erupts in laughter and applaud.

''Oh, Challis, aren't you funny!'' Addions puts her arm on my shoulder as I flash a bright smile towards the audience. A rose is thrown at me and lands on my lap. I swoop my hand down to pick it up and place it in my mouth, winking my eye in the direction that the rose was thrown in.

''Funny enough to bring you up to my District Floor?'' I try my my best to flirt, getting Addison to blush just a little. She coughs a bit and smiles at me as I hold her hand. I massage it just a bit as she laughs. ''What's so funny? It's a pleasure to be in the same room as you. Not to mention in private.''

''Oh, Challis,'' she says. ''Thank you for chatting with me. It was very enjoyable, sweetheart. Give it up for Challis Damask!''

As I walk away—towards the elevator, I can't help but continue thinking about how tomorrow's gonna go. How am I gonna kill Lark without Julio spotting me? You know what, it doesn't matter. Tomorrow's the big day, and when we enter that Arena...

I'm gonna slit Lark's throat.

* * *

 **Cia Arongan, 18;**

 **District Twelve Male**

''All the way from District Seven, please help me give a welcoming hand to Eudora Bayard!'' Addison says as she waits for Eudora to walk up. Ugh, she's just another tribute who's irrelevant and getting in the way of me winning.

As she sits down in her navy blue ballgown, she places her hand in her silver heels and fixes it up. It looks quite uncomfortable for her, but who am I to care? She continues to touch the bangles on her wrist, playing with them or something. I don't know, I don't care. As the two of them continue to talk, Addison keeps placing her hand on Eudora's bouncy curls.

''So how does it feel being brought back to life, and what do you think your chances of winning are?'' Addison asks, staring Eudora straight in the eye. Eudora smiles kindly at her, almost as if she's trying to play some type of game. If the sweet angle is what she's going for, she's definitely doing it right.

''I love being back, Addison,'' she says in an adorable voice. But that doesn't mean anything, though. She's still gonna die. ''Being brought back with all of these wonderful tributes just makes me happy, but that doesn't mean I'll let them take me down easily. I'm ready to compete, and winning is what I plan on doing this time. I'm not gonna let anyone take me down without putting up a fight, so I know that my chances or high. Trust me.''

''Thank you for the wonderful interview, Eudora,'' Addison smiles as she shows Eudora the way off the stage. ''Next, bringing in her District Partner, please help me introduce the only tribute, besides the careers from Two, to get the score of a _10_. Give a round of applause for Orion Aquarius!''

Orion, who has a smooth smile on his face—which he always does, and that pisses me off, walks up onto the stage and poses. He's always happy and smiling, and I just don't get it. Why the fuck are you smiling so much? He takes a seat and crosses his legs as the Capitol drools over themselves while staring at his outfit. The beige suit that he has on has trees swaying in the motion. And in the back, there are small tree branches that actually stick out, almost looking like they form wings.

''How does it feel being one of three people to get the highest Training Score in these games?'' asks Addison as she stares into Orion's eyes. ''Are you not afraid that some of these tributes might find you as a threat?''

''Addison, I never expected getting a _10_ , and I'm not gonna lie to you,'' he says in a sweet and calm voice. ''It's kind of intimidating, knowing that a couple of people might be after me. But it's okay, because I know I'll do good. And believe me when I tell you that I'm not going down without a fight.''

''We can certainly see that, especially when looking at your Training Score. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us, Orion. Is there anything that you'd like to say before you leave?''

''Citizens of Panem, we'll meet after the Games! And when we do, I promise you all that I'll be everything you wanted and need. Even more.'' Orion takes a bow as the crowd gives him an applause louder than any other tribute in these interviews so far. I've never heard an audience so loud before.

''Thank you, Orion,'' Addison smiles sweetly at him. ''I hope that you're the tribute to return to us here in Capitol in a week or two. We'll see you in the Arena.'' Addison claps for Orion herself.

Why would they be cheering for someone like him? He's so egoistic, though! If anything, I'd be booing him. I hope I run into him during the bloodbath. I'm gonna shove a knife into his throat. As my eyes slowly meet the stage floor, I realize that another tribute has been called up; it's the creepy girl from Eight.

''Candice, what was going on through your mind when you stripped in front of everyone during the Chariot Rides?'' Addison asks. Is she told to ask personal questions? I mean, I wanna know, too, but I wouldn't ask her. She'd probably put a spell on me or something. No matter, I would just kill her in the Arena. ''Were you just feeling ballsy? Did you just _want_ to do it? Were you told to by your stylist, or...? W-What was going on through your mind?''

''He told me to do it.'' Candice says plainly. No further explanation besides 'he told me to do it.' She's so awkward. What the hell is wrong with her? Her personality and everything about her is just so weird and... I just don't get her. I hope she dies first.

''Who told you to do it? Your stylist?''

''Him.''

''Who's him?''

''Satan.''

''Say what now?'' Addison backs up a little, quickly standing up as Candice rolls her eyes. ''W-Why would you..? You believe in _that_?''

''Yes, of course I do.'' Candice says, quickly standing up. ''He saved me and brought me back to life. I won't fail him this time around. And when I win, he'll have his own House of Worship. And when the first one is built, thousands more will be scattered all across Panem.''

''Please leave.''

''Aabpussypocket turdfuck peniscat!''

Without a warning, she's dragged off of the stage by three peacekeepers, who all have to force her into leaving. Two of them hold her by the arms and another holds her legs. She continues kicking the one who's holding her legs face. Without hesitation, she quickly barks and digs her teeth into one of the peacekeepers armor.

She's fucking weird.

Her District Partner isn't anything special, unlike her. His interview was just kind comments about all of the other tributes and how he hates to go back into the Arena. The kid is too nice. There's no way in hell that he's surviving the bloodbath. Someone should end him quickly, but where's the fun in that?

''Continuing to the next tribute, please help me welcome Zahra of District Nine!'' Zahra walks up to the stage, a smile on her face as she does her best to appear noticeable. Her dress is made completely out of grain and goes to her knees. As she looks around, the only thing that I see worth looking at is the brownish gold cape that she wears.

She stomps her boots on the ground, trying her best to get rid of the irritation in them. Once she sits down, Addison starts making fun of her outfit and cracking jokes. Zahra keeps quiet as she just waits for Addison to stop—which she never does. Zahra just continues to look at Addison, and it's almost as if she's just gonna get up and leave.

''Woo! Girl, what're you wearing?'' Addison cracks up, almost like she's actually dying of laughter. ''Over here looking like a superhero with that cape on. Did your prep team come up with that cape on their own, or did you ask them to add it to your outfit? What, are you gonna save the World with grain? You gonna feed the poor?''

''I—''

''You what?'' Addison chokes on her own laughter, barely being able to breathe. The way she's laughing gets the Capitol to laugh, and now everybody is making fun of her outfit. Well, besides all the incompetent fools in front of me. ''You think you're gonna _grain_ sponsors with that outfit?!''

The look on Zahra's face looks like she wants to kill Addison. ''You know what?! I don't need this! I don't need your stupid sponsors to survive, or your stupid Capitol people to share their opinions on me! How would you like it if I was the interviewer and _you_ were the tribute? How would you like it if I sent _you_ to your death and brought _you_ back to life, just to kill _YOU_ all over again?! Everything bad happens to me, and I'm tired of it!''

Zahra storms off the stage, glaring at Addison as she leaves. ''You all think that you're superior to everyone! Well guess what. You're not! You're not superior to me, not to my partner, not to my District—to nobody!''

The audience is completely quiet as Addison sits there looking shocked; her mouth is gaped open, her eyes are widened and are threatening to shoot out of their sockets. The awkward silence is soon broken when Lark walks onto the stage and sits down on the chair. ''H-Hey, everybody.''

''So, Lark,'' Addison coughs up, straitening herself in front of the cameras. ''I hear that you have an alliance with two other tributes this year. What was your motive for joining an alliance, and who are the two other tributes, if I might ask?''

''Well, I knew that going into these games alone was probably a bad idea,'' Lark admits. ''The other two are Julio and... Ch-Challis. The other tribute is Challis. Being in the games by yourself this year just doesn't seem like a smart idea, so I thought Julio- I mean... those two, would be amazing allies to have.''

''You seemed a little hesitant on speaking about Challis,'' Addison points out, a fake smile on her face. ''Why is that? Is there something going on with the alliance?''

''No, there isn't anything wrong with the alliance,'' he says, a small smile on his face. ''We're good friends, and we hope to do well in that Arena. We'll do whatever it takes to survive in that Arena, and hopefully one of us comes out of it alive.''

And with that, Lark's interview is over. The small little girl from Ten walks up to the stage as she's introduced, sending smiles everyone's way. That large smile that she has on her face is ridiculous. The Capitol already loves her, sending flowers towards her and dying over how cute she is.

''Mickaela!'' Addison says in a singing tone. ''Aren't you just the cutest tribute among them all. Tell me, Mickaela. How is it being in an alliance this year for you? Do you enjoy being around them, and I remember hearing Anaya about to say another tribute's name. Is there anyone else in the alliance?''

''Oh, I just love being with them. They remind me of my family back at home, and I love them so much,'' Mickaela comments, the cutest smile I've ever seen before on her face. God, I'm gonna rip her lips off with a knife. ''And no, Addison, there isn't anyone else in the alliance. Maybe Anaya was gonna say Paisly twice?''

''Okay, well thank you for answering,'' Addison looks like she's about to wrap up the conversation. ''So you got the score of a _4._ And I know that's not a good score, but what are your opinions on it?''

''I got what I got, and I can't do anything about that _now_ ,'' Mickaela says sadly, fooling us all into thinking that's it. ''But I _can_ do something about it when we enter the games, and I'll do my best to become your second twelve-year-old Victor.''

After that, Mickaela's interview ends. Her cheers are the second loudest—behind Orion's. Julio comes up to the stage as introduced and takes a seat. ''Hello-''

''Hello, Addison!'' he cuts her short, surprising Addison as he places his hand on her shoulder. ''How are you doing today? Looks like it's been amazing so far, especially by the way you look. Is that hairstyle new? I didn't see it on the television last night, so I'm guessing it is. If so, it's doing well for you. I don't think any other girl can do it like you do.''

''W-Why thank you, Julio,'' Addison blushes. ''It _is_ new, and I appreciate it. If only more tributes were as genuine as you.''

''Well, I do know how to treat a lady,'' he chuckles, giving us all a cheeky grin. Addison chuckles, too, but then she quickly cuts to the questions that she was gonna ask him. He gives her an appealing look as the two continue to talk.

''Wrapping this up, how willing are you to come back to the Capitol this year, Julio?'' The look on Julio's face shows you exactly how serious he is. He looks more determined than any other tribute in the games this year.

''Addison, I'm gonna do anything and everything that I can to come back this year,'' he states. ''I have so much that I need to come back to, and I will. Nobody's stopping me from coming back, not even my own allies. If getting my hands dirty is what I have to do, then so be it. I'm done with playing nice. This time, I'm gonna show them who I really am.''

Julio runs offstage as Addison calls forward Brysia. ''How are you doing today, Brysia?'' Addison asks. As Brysia sits down, all she does is stare. Addison continues to ask Brysia questions, but she's so quiet and keeps to herself. ''Well, thank you, Brysia... For being a complete waste of an interview.''

Addison stares at Brysia, and as Brysia turns around she looks straight at Addison. ''Don't look at me like that. I'm not a waste of an interview, and I'll show you that in the Arena.'' As she walks offstage, her partner is introduced. His interview was going well at first, talking about his strategy and what he was planning to do, but then he just started talking about blood and then that quickly escalated to him looking all depressed and quiet and shit.

''Introducing our final two tributes of the night. All the way from District Twelve—the tribute who got the lowest Training Score with a _1—_ Cia Arongan!''

 _Your time to shine!_ As I walk up onto the stage, I can't help but glare at the crowd. ''All of you are beneath me!'' I yell, because I know it's true. ''You're all faggots that are beneath me! I'm so much better than you all!''

As I take a seat, Addison glares at me, her eyebrows narrowed and a sadistic frown on her face. ''Quite an entrance you showed us, wouldn't you say, Cia?'' I look at her like she's dumb. What? Did she think that I say stuff like that for fun? No, I said it because I meant it, and because I know that it's all _true_. Everyone of these Capitolites are just people who wish they could be as perfect as me.

I answer all of her questions smoothly, knowing that what I say is correct. ''Of course I'm gonna win it, Addison. Who else here do you think can beat me? All of the careers suck, especially because they died first. Nobody else here can pose a threat against me, and if you think just because I got a low score means that I'm a bloodbath, you're wrong. Just you watch, bitch. I'm gonna win this thing.''

I pick myself up, walking away without her signing me off. ''Moving on to the final tribute of the night, please welcome Sashen Baize!'' Sashen's applaud is much louder than mine was, and I'm just curious as to why! She ends her interview off fantastically, according to the Capitol.

''Yeah, I can't wait to work with Levi and Nathan. They're both great guys, and I think we'll get along really well in the Arena,'' she hugs Addison as she stands up. ''It was nice talking to you. I'll see you all in the Arena tomorrow.''

''And that's it for tonight, everybody. We hope that you all enjoyed these tribute interviews, and I hope that you all found out who you'd like to sponsor in the Arena. As little as it is, anything would help these tributes survive longer. Make sure you place your bets tomorrow morning before the bloodbath, and have fun sponsoring. That's all for tonight, folks, we'll see you all in the-''

''Wait, what?'' Addison says, holding the small microphone in her ear. What's going on? ''Looks like I lied, everyone. Upcoming news from President Bengel tells us that because this is a special Quell—with revived tributes, there's going to be a Night Show after-party! Everyone's allowed to come and interact with the tributes!''

The audience roars in applause as Addison continues to tell us of the news that she just received. ''Everyone, come quickly! For the rest of the night only, everybody in the Capitol can now come into the skyscraper that all of the tributes are staying in. We'll see you all tonight inside of the hotel! Signing off and tuning into our next broadcast, I have been Addison Chivel!''

All of the Capitolites in the rows rush towards the stage and run throughout the hotel. As I look closer, I can hear the ground shaking and see a sea of fruity colored people running towards me. I try my best to walk away and enter the elevator, but I'm quickly swarmed and picked up by the wave of people.

I'm pushed against a wall and everyone is touching me. This is so annoying! They're all yelling in my ears as they try to push into the elevator all at once. Damn it! I know one thing for sure about this stupid decision that the President decided to make: it's gay.

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy! So I'm upset. This was supposed to be out on Thursday or Friday. But sadly, I couldn't get it out on the date(s) that I wanted, obviously. Those days were both busy, and then I thought I could get it up yesterday. Sadly, I couldn't. I had to go to a wedding, get my hair curled up and my tape line done, then go to the actual wedding and things happened. ._. But I wanted to get it out on Friday so that I could update the Night Show chapter today. After that, I would've updated the Launch next Friday and then the games would've officially begun. Ha ha, sucks that you guys have to wait another two weeks.**

 **So I wasn't supposed to have three male POVs this chapter. I wanted to have two males and one female, but I remembered that one chapter where I had three female POVs, and I thought 'Why not make three male POVs?' Yeah, so I'm not the biggest fan of this chapter. Honestly, this shit took me so long. I fucking hated writing this. Trying to give every tribute a bit of screen time was so hard, and I'm thinking about skipping interviews for future SYOTs. I should've just made this a 3000 word chapter with little to no dialogue, but there's no going back now. It's officially done. Anyways, for those of you waiting for the bloodbath, sorry that it's gonna take a while. I-It's not my fault. I'm a 15-year-old boy who has things to do, and sometimes they get in the way of updating. And this is for all you bitches pampering me to update. Yeah, fuck you. JK JK JK, I love all of you! ^^ Don't ever forget that. And I'd sacrifice myself for you all. Ha ha... Mhm... I totally would... ._.**

 **So anyways, sit down on Santa's lap while Ansley reads you a little story. So tell me how the fuck my school is gonna get a gun threat the day after my teacher tells us that they were talking about Code Reds. ''Guys, it was just a meeting to tell us how to keep you guys safe. I would've never thought about what they brought up for a gunman to do.'' A day later they find a message on the bathroom wall saying, ''I'm gonna kill 11 people today. Can you guess who? Good luck.'' Oh my God, I wanted to dip so bad. Half the school was gone, and I was scared shitless. Like, I couldn't even pee right. I was trying to go, but it was all over the floor and jk, no lol. But like, I wanted to jump the school fence, but there were AP everywhere. I wanted to walk outside and make a cocking noise, but I knew I would get tackled quick af. And as everyone was on their phones, I told my friend to snapchat us and I was like, ''Splat splat, bang bang, getting shot, killed at school, kid tryna murder us all.'' And I don't know. Trying to lighten the mood during a situation like that makes me hurtttt! ;U**

 **I had butterflies in my stomach and shit. BUT ANYWAYS! After school, I was running home through the streets, yelling the words ''Freedom!'' And I almost got hit by a school bus lol. How ironic would it have been to escape a shooting, but to soon get hit by a bus? I'd be dead, fam. Like, ugh, I need someone to finish this story for me :/ One of you guys needs to finish this for me, because Idk, man. But if I do survive, I want you all to know that I'm running for President in 2020 along with Kanye West. Yeah, I know, you gotta be like 40 or something to run for President, but Idgaf! Vote for me. I promise to give out free shit to everyone. And I'll make goodie with Kim Jong Un. We can be homies and shit, and I'll get him to refrain from nuking every other country. Like, we could be straight and shit. And then after that, I'll use my Jesus powers to unite all of our continents back into one so that we'll all be Pangea and can visit each other whenever we'd like or something.**

 **You know, baws shit like that. And after all that—which I plan to do at the age of 19-20—I wanna solve world hunger and take care of the children. You know, we gotta appreciate the children. The future of our world, and the ones who have something big on our environment o: AND THEN! I'm gonna hand out grappling guns to everyone in Pangea and recreate Dinosaurs like they did in Jurassic Park. Shout out to the cast of that movie. Brilliant. :3 After all of that and all of the World's problems are fixed, and me still being President at the age of 21, I'll resign and retire with my gazillions in the bank. I'ma invite all of y'all to the moon with me where we can party and have fun with space aliens and shit. You know, they gotta have access, though, so it's all good.**

 **After all of this is done, we'll all god back down to Pangea where we can stop global warming. And then go down as one of the most historical peoples in the World. Yes, peoples. Then, as this is all done, I'll split my gazillions with everyone in this story, and with my real life family and the people of Australia, because why not Australia? Big ass spiders in that place. Man I get goosebumps from staring on them. ANYWAY, off topic and stuff. But after a long 21 years of life, I'll ask one of you to do the honors of lighting up a rocket and sending me out into space where I crash into the sun and become a beautiful pit of fire as I slowly ascend my way up into the Heavens. But not before leaving off the rest of this story so one of you can update it and finish it off for me.**

 **Alright then. Now that I got my fantasy out of the way, I just wanna say that I'm sorry EmeraldQueen. You're complete bae, and Ily, but I needed someone to have Addison talk down on. When I reread Zahra's form and reviewed her personality, I knew she was the perfect person to have yell at Addison, besides the psychopath himself—Asyrin Katchet. I just realized that this is a long ass Author's Note and it has nothing to do with the story. Yeah, I totally forgot what I was gonna say in this A/N and I lost my train of thought, so onto the questions. I was distracted, so lel.**

* * *

 **Who's interview was your favorite?**

 **Who's was your least favorite?**

 **Do you like Addison?**

 **Have any of your opinions changed on any of these tributes?**

 **Anyone you like more?**

 **Anyone you like less?**

* * *

 **That's all for now, guys! See you all in next week's chapter. Hopefully. Oh, and I added Demetri to the site, and I'll probably add Addison to it later on in the week. I'm so lazy right now, and I can't be bothered to do the simplest of things. Yeah, so I have nothing else left to say. I probably do but I can't remember right now, so yeah... Anyways, I love you all. See you guys next chapter. Bye! ^-^**


	17. When The Night Calls

**Night Show:**

* * *

 **Seraphina Royal, 16;**

 **District Four Female**

''What's going on tonight?'' I ask Brylan, as I walk into the main lobby of our District Floor. He stares back at me and smiles. A smile that I've never seen on his face before, and I'm not sure if I'll ever see it again. He quickly stands up and rushes towards me, grabbing my shoulder as he looks straight into my eyes. ''Brylan, are you okay?''

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' he lets me know, but there's something more to it. I don't know why, but he seems excited about something. ''Tonight only, the President's letting the tributes interact with the Capitolites. Do you know what this means, Seraphina?!''

Honestly, I don't. What's so special about Capitolites talking to us? They're voting for us all to die, so why should I care what they think? The only reason I could possibly think of speaking to Capitolites would be to gain spons-

Oh.

''Yeah, I get what you're saying,'' I say, smiling with Brylan. He let's go of my shoulders and swiftly turns around, facing the television. He starts pondering, but I don't know what about. Is it for my angle? What I'm figuring is that he wants me to go out there and start talking to Capitolites, but I'm not sure if I want to do that. They were probably cheering when I died last time around, and I don't think I'm comfortable with speaking to those same citizens.

''I know this might be tough for you,'' Brylan says, still looking at the T.V. The broadcast that's going on right now is showing the District Twelve male and a couple of other tributes all being swarmed by Capitolites. That doesn't look like something I'd like to get myself into. Not at all. ''But interaction with them is gonna ensure you the most amount of sponsors you can get.''

''Brylan...'' I sigh, looking straight at the back of his head. ''I know that, but I'm just not comfortable with it.'' He turns back around and stares right into my eyes, telling me that it's okay, I try my best to lighten up the mood and just think about what could go down if I do speak to them. Them liking me wouldn't only make me receive more sponsors, but it would also boost my popularity in the Capitol.

And being popular in the Capitol's eyes would make the Gamemakers not try to kill me off—well, not too early, I suppose. But even if they did send mutts after me, they wouldn't make them too hard for me to kill, right? After thinking about this for a while, I've finally decided to just go with it. It's better that I stay calm and think about the positive rather than freak out and think of all the negative things that could happen.

''Alright, alright, I'll go down there and speak with them,'' I finally give in, placing my hand on my hips as I lean my head to the right. ''You're the mentor, after all, and I should listen to you. So what's your plan? How exactly do you want me to act around them?''

''Be yourself,'' he answers abruptly, looking back at me as he rubs his temples. ''That's what I did and I received a surplus amount of sponsors. Just don't show any sign of anger, or say anything that makes you sound rebellious. Capitolites hate rebellious tributes, and your death will come in an instance if you come off as one.''

''Alright.'' I say, walking over to the kitchen to get a drink of water before heading out. Amille walks out just as soon as I finish my glass and smiles at me. I'm guessing that she overheard our conversation, since she's motioning me to hurry up and get out there. As I place the cup in the sink, I quickly turn on my heel and run inside of the elevator as I set my destination for the main lobby.

They've both given me some really useful advice here in the Capitol—and I plan on using that advice to my full advantage. The elevator dings, signaling that I've reached the main lobby. There's an incredible amount of people just chatting up a storm behind that door. As the elevator door opens, the entire audience of Capitolites stop talking and just stare at me.

A man with lime green hair and purple tattoos scattered all across his body pulls me out of the elevator and tosses me up into the air. The light shines incredibly on my back, making me look like a Goddess hovering over all these people. Their faces lighting up with smiles as the wrinkles on their faces grow larger and larger. Some of them stand there plainly but still cheer for me.

Gravity pushes me back down towards the sea of Capitolites as they hug me and bring me into a tight embrace. This is honestly the most uncomfortable thing I've ever been through. All of them are sweating and shouting in my ear, and it's so annoying. But I can keep my calm—I always do, even when I was dying I did.

''Seraphina, hug me!'' a large woman says, grabbing my body and bringing me closer to her chest. I'm sucked in while multiple others try to hug me. One little child grabs at my leg and begins to nibble on my skin. Quickly jolting me leg away, I accidentally kick the child in the face and send him flying back.

The audience goes quiet for a bit, until the little boy sits up and stares at me, a smile crossing his lips. He lets out a small sigh, but then that small sigh turns into laughter. The other Capitolites all start to laugh and clap. ''Yeah, Seraphina, do it again!''

 _What the hell is wrong with these people?_ My mind quickly transfers to the question that's been going on through everyone's mind—besides mine and the rest of the careers. I used to think of everyone here as people who encouraged me to volunteer, people who believed in me winning. Not people who laughed and cheered because they were satisfied by my death.

I'm definitely reconsidering my feelings for the Capitol. They don't love me, and I never loved them. I _thought_ that they felt something for me, but it turns out that I'm only here for their entertainment. I should've figured that earlier, but even with them just being happy because I'm putting my life on the line, I can't help not being mad at them. _But you should be._

''Seraphina, do it again!'' another Capitolite shouts out, meeting eye-contact with me. Quickly jolting my eyelids shut, I quirk my head to the left and see the panting child. The bright pink color of his tongue hanging from his mouth down to upper chin, the burning pain in his eyes as his cheeks rise and his face turns red. The kid wants me to hurt him, but I'm not gonna do that. What has he ever done to me?

''I'm not gonna do it agai-'' Suddenly, Brylan's voice pops into my mind. _Be yourself... Just don't show any sign of anger, or say anything that makes you sound rebellious..._ I don't want to, but these idiotic Capitolites seriously don't expect me to kick a child on purpose, do they?

But then again, isn't that what they've always wanted? Watching as other peoples' children die is no different than watching your own tribute die. It's just the feeling that's different. And that's wrong! That's wrong, that's wrong, that's wrong! _Calm._

Although I do stay calm in situations like this, it's just not right to walk all over others like that. These bastards want me to kick a child—who's actually enjoying it—in the face, but what if I don't want to do it? These games aren't solely based on sponsors, that's for sure. _But they do help._ And what's the point of getting sponsors if you have to give into the game of others instead of your own?

''I'm not gonna hit him again,'' the words fly out of my mouth, as I look straight at the kid. The smile on his face quickly disappears, turning into the saddest frown I've ever seen. Instead of shrugging it off, he lets out the cry for help and his face turns into a dark shade of purple. He sucks the air into his mouth as he puffs up his cheeks and the tears shoot out like a sprinkler. The boy's holding his breath...

He wants me to hit him again... He's holding his breath to show me that he'll do anything to get me to attack him, but I won't. I can't hit a child who's no older than eight years old. Quickly turning around, I try to move past the crowd of Capitolites just standing there, mouth gaped and everything.

They're hard to push through, but I can get my way through by force. My elbows meet contact with guts, stomachs, and chests as I force my way past the group of people. The different voices all yelling my name go through my left ear and out the right. I don't want to listen to them, and I don't want to do anything that they want—besides enter the games an win. And that's when I realize that I'm here for one reason and one reason only: to win. Not to please the Capitol. Not to gain sponsors. To win.

I shouldn't be spending my time with these Capitolites when I could be training; bettering my weapon skills, finding out ways to slide past dangerous situations, and even learning how to brew poison to kill my allies. That's the one flaw in my plan: I don't even know how to use or make poison.

Finding my way towards an open area, I stare as I run down the hall—where I turn to find Domino and Enigma making out, their lips smacking against each others and making a squishy sound. See? These are the type of people I shouldn't be spending my time with. Why should I join an alliance with two tributes who only care about making love and pleasuring each others bodies?

As that thought crosses my mind, Enigma grabs Domino's chest and pushes him back a bit, smiling at him and whispering something in his ear. Oh my God. They both begin to giggle as she wraps her leg around his waist and he holds her up against a wall.

Okay...

Where's Asyrin when you need him? Out of all the people I could possibly run into, it had to be Enigma and Domino. ''Get a room!'' I shout, speaking exactly what was on my mind at the current moment. Enigma quickly opens her eyes, Domino stopping and letting go of her waist. They both fix themselves and look at me awkwardly.

''Sorry,'' Enigma says, wiping the spit off of her mouth. I shake my head as I continue walking, searching through the hallways of the main lobby to see if Asyrin's anywhere to be found. Sadly, he's not. Maybe he's back on his District Floor. He's the only person here that isn't caught up in some bullshit relationship besides me. I could learn a thing or two from him.

* * *

 **Hero Kane, 17;**

 **District One Male**

''Hero, that was so cute!'' Reese shouts, as I make my way over to the elevator. My head jolts to the right as I smile at my mentor. Her face lights up in morning light makes the vacant room shine. The sound of her voice echoing across the hollow walls. ''When you were stuttering about that girl! Hero, I absolutely loved it, the Capitolites loved it, all of Panem loved it!''

She squeals, running over towards me. As she wraps her arms around me in a hug, I can't help but smile. My cheeks rising up high, my temperature begins to rise and I can already feel my face turning red. Reese quickly lets go as she kisses my cheek and places her hand on my head, rubbing my hair with some force.

''Everyone is talking about you two!'' she says, placing her hands on my shoulders and vigorously shaking me. ''Hesha is born, Hesha is born! Everyone is shipping the both of you together. I-I can't tell you how happy I am for you, Hero. You're a favorite among the Capitol and someone they see as a potential Victor!''

''They ship me? And Isha?'' I ask, curious to find out the answer. B-But Isha and I... I don't understand. What's a ship? I just don't get what the Capitol thinks about her and I. ''Reese, this is... This is just weird. I just don't understand this... t-this feeling. Every time I'm around her, my temperature soars, I get butterflies in my stomach, and my heart just feels like shooting out of my chest. What is that?''

''Oh my God, Hero, you're too cute!'' she shouts, quickly twirling around. ''Hero. That feeling is called laaa...'' she stops. W-What is she doing? ''Say it with me now. Laaa...''

''Laaa...?''

''Laaa..!'' she says louder, swaying her hands back and forth. ''Say it with more enthusiasm! That feeling is laaa...'' What in the world is laaa? Is she trying to say lost? Is that feeling loss? Oh, I get it! I'm feeling lost because Isha was the missing part of my heart that I needed to find!

''Reese, I get it!'' I shout, staring at her but also saying it with more enthusiasm. ''That feeling is loss! Isha was the last piece of my heart that was missing, right? And that means that I'm supposed to be around her, and we're supposed to be amazing friends!''

The look on her face drops and she gives me a confused look, but then she gapes her mouth and smiles at me as she inhales. ''Close enough, Hero.'' If it's close enough, I'll take it because it just feels right. I've never felt like this about anyone before, and knowing that Isha's that one person makes me know that our connection is special. ''You're just so cute! Now come on, let's go back up to our floor.''

I rush to the elevator, my footsteps echoing against the soft tiles of wood and bouncing off of the walls of the stage entrance. As I enter the elevator, I wait until Reese gets close enough to press the button that automatically closes the doors.

''Hero, you-''

A light chuckle leaves my lips as the elevator begins to move back up to my District Floor. Ha ha, I didn't expect Reese to fall for it, especially since I've been pranking everyone for the past week. As long as nobody's hurt by them, it's all in good fun.

Finally, the elevator door opens and as I step into the lobby of the room I notice that this isn't my District Floor. It's District Two's. Immediately, the mentors from Two both stare at me. They both eye me as I walk in, and it becomes awkward as soon as I stop moving. I let out a cough as I clear my throat and look around the room.

''You guys have an amazing District Floor,'' I manage, breaking the silence of the room. The bright light inside of the room intensifies as it grows brighter and brighter, like the sun rising and letting the moon rest. ''I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm doing here. I guess I accidentally pressed the wrong button on the elevator.''

''It's fine,'' the male says, eyeing me up and down. ''Hero, right? It's nice to meet you. I've heard that you enjoy pranking. Am I right?'' The man continues to stare at me as I nod my head up and down. These two seem like nice people. District Two's lucky to have them.

''Yes, sir,'' I say, smiling. ''As long as nobody's hurt by it, what's the harm?'' As soon as I say that, Asyrin and Isha both walk out into the main lobby and stare at me. ''Hey!'' It's kinda awkward, since the entire room is silent. I've been the only person to say anything for the past three minutes, and It's starting to grow very uncomfortable.

''Hey, Hero,'' Isha says, a grin on her face. Oh, well, this is even more awkward. I can't help but grin. Asyrin narrows his eyebrows as he stares at me, the two mentors both lean on the edge of their seat as they stare back and forth, and I just stand still, sweat dripping down the side of my face. ''I was thinking we should all go down to the main lobby, what do you guys think?''

''Sianna and I are busy talking to Asyrin about... strategies!'' the male says, jumping up from his seat. ''You two should go down together. Go have fun while we stay up here, bye!'' After saying that he quickly grabs me by my shoulder and throws me into the elevator, with Isha following right by my side.

Before I can say a word, the elevator door closes as he presses the button to go back down to the main lobby. It's really quiet here with Isha until she grabs my hand and leans her head on my shoulder. I don't know what to do here. Do I just let her stay there, or do I ask her questions? What's this feeling? Someone, please inform me on what this is. I don't understand it a bit.

''Isha...'' I ask quietly, staring down at her. ''Look, I know that this isn't any of my business, but why are you so withdrawn to others? A-And, it's like I'm the only person you can actually talk to. Did I do something to make you happy? I'm just confused.''

''No, Hero, it's...'' she drags on the words, not completely telling me how she feels. ''It's just that you're the only person that I can actually feel open with. I'm just comfortable whenever I talk to you, and you've taught me how to relax. I can just say anything whenever I'm around you, and that just makes me feel so much better about this whole situation.''

''Oh...'' it's still a bit confusing to me, but I understand most of it. ''Well, I'm glad that I'm that person. You're someone I like talking to, too, Isha. And I-I don't know who else I'd have this much fun with if it weren't for you.''

Her face turns almost as red as a tomato, and I can't help but have that strange feeling in my stomach again. It's just weird, and I don't get it. ''Hero, you're an amazing person, and I can't tell you how much you've helped me change.'' This brings a small smile to my face, knowing that I helped Isha, even if I didn't know that I did. ''And that's why I can tell you that I love being around you-''

The elevator doors quickly slide open as we walk out into a room full of Capitolites and tributes all speaking with music playing in the background. Strobe lights flash around the crowded room as Capitolites cheer and take pictures with tributes. As Isha and I continue walking, Capitolites quickly turn and gasp as they make room for us to pass through. She grips my hand tightly as she looks up at me, making me blush even more intensely than I was before.

We hear screaming coming from the ceiling, so we decide to take a look and it's Carter dangling on a disco ball as it looks like it's about to break. I quickly pull Isha away from the area that the disco ball is hanging from and continue walking as we look up at the Capitol singer dancing on the stage. When exactly did they get all these people here? It's like a party. It's like a... like a...

It's like a _Night Show_.

Capitolites start swarming Isha and I, grabbing us by our shoulders and pulling us apart. We're separated now, and I can hear her voice shouting my name, but the Capitolites screaming in my ear and vigorously shaking me overlaps hers by a mile.

''Hero, I love you!''

''Hug me!''

''Give me a kiss, Hero!''

''I WANT BABY HERO'S!''

As I finally move away from them, I end up standing right in front of Isha as she moves past an aisle of people. We're right in front of each others face, and as soon as I open my mouth to say something a slow song comes on. The lights quickly start flashing and the spotlight is put on the two of us. Looking around, I do my best to avoid the situation, but Isha quickly grabs my hand and smiles at me. Without her even saying a word, I know exactly what she wants to do.

''I-I don't know how to dance, Isha,'' I inform her, as I sweat immensely. ''I-I can barely move properly, and I'm like a stiff piece of cardboar-''

''It's okay, Hero,'' Isha says, placing her hand on my shoulder. ''Just follow my lead.'' With that, she waits for my response. All I can do now is just follow exactly what she does—because I don't know how to dance, and I'd probably fail miserably if I was the one leading.

The applause of the audience grew louder and louder as I told Isha that I was ready. We finally took our places and waited for the soft music to get louder. Once we thought the time was right we took a step forward and our gaze remained locked. I placed a hand on her back—her hand on my shoulder. Both of our free hands finally meet, and together, we danced to the music.

Our feet were in perfect sync to the beating of my heart. And as the song progressed I felt relaxed, and a small smile formed on my lips. She was absolutely perfect. Still being in her interview outfit—just like me—it made this moment ten times better. Her light gray eyes, which are absolutely beautiful, were deep and irresistible. One thing was for sure... The feeling that I felt for Isha has definitely grown larger. But I still don't know what it is.

She turned elegantly, her body definitely in tune with the slow music. Although I have no idea what I'm doing, it just feels right when it's with her. It's like I underestimated her, but it was definitely for the wrong reason. What's the reason for me feeling this way? I just don't know. The warmth between us grew more powerful by the second. My heartbeat was growing along with it, and I just have this rushed feeling in me. Our dance was just perfect; everything from our breathing to how our movement stayed in sync.

She guided me across the dance floor as if it were a dream. Her eyes were kept up on mine, yet still, she knew exactly where to take me. Every moment seemed to be planned in advance. Everything felt right; nothing felt forced. I feel like I'm flying, and she's navigating the path along with me.

The audience continued to grow louder with applause as we kept dancing. ''Isha,'' my voice is quiet, staring right into those beautiful eyes of hers. ''Everyone's staring at us.''

''Really,'' she chuckled softly. ''I didn't notice.'' With that, the feeling in my body just grew more and more. That was when I decided to just let everything go. I forgot about my pranks, I forgot about being nervous, I forgot about all the blushing. I just let my worries all go and drift off somewhere else. Right here, right now, I was living. Nothing else really mattered anymore; I allowed her to take me anywhere on the dance floor.

She went right, I went right. She sped up, I sped up. We became one with the song, with the dance and with each other. We continue like that until the song stopped and we separated, but our hands still locked with each others. I have to say, I'm sad to be away from her warmth. The audiences' applause filled our ears. I couldn't help but smile at her. In that hour, I wondered why I didn't see it before.

''Isha,'' I call out, moving closer to her. ''You've definitely changed me, too. Although I love pranking and having fun, I can do anything with you. You get me, and I get you. I've never felt like this before, and I don't know how to explain it. I figured it out today that you were the last piece of my heart that was missing, and I'm glad I found you.''

''Hero,'' she looks up at me, standing on her tip toes. She looks right into my eyes, and our noses touch. She breathes calmly and steadily as we continue to stare at each other, and this feeling that I've been feeling... I think I realize what it is.

''Isha, I think I l-''

''I love you, too, Hero.''

I couldn't help but to hug Isha, bringing her body closer to mine. She smiled softly as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Without a warning, her lips pressed against mine, starting off as a soft kiss that lingered. It's like something inside of my body just switched. I was kissing her deeply and hugging her close. My emotions burst like fireworks. This is perfect; this is exactly how it's supposed to be. I placed my hands on her lower back and pressed her against me.

I never want this to end.

* * *

 **Mickaela Robenson, 12;**

 **District Ten Female**

The two careers finish dancing as the audience surrounds more and more tributes. I watch as Parvati continues speaking with three different Capitol men. Isn't that a shocker? But she's just doing that to hog all the sponsors to herself. And with those sponsors she's gonna forget all about our alliance. Why can't _I_ get sponsors like that?

You know what? No, no. It's totally fine. I just hope that she isn't planning on hogging it all to herself. But who am I kidding? I wouldn't be able to get sponsors like that in the first place. And why in the World would I want to be out there, talking to Capitolites? Being in crowds isn't something that I enjoy partaking in, so I might as well leave.

As I continue walking around the entrance room, I try to forget about all of my worries because they won't do anything good for me. I'm a little girl who always deprecates herself, but that never does me any good. Why should I waste my time feeling bad for myself, when I know that others have it worse? _Because you're no good. Not at being liked, not at training, not at being a good little girl. Not at anything._

Listening to my conscience telling me that I'm not good at anything hurts—but it's all true. I'm a useless little girl with nothing going for her in life. I'm just gonna die again, and again, and again. Over and over. I'm never getting past the age of thirteen, and I'll never go through puberty, and I'll never see my family ever again!

No! Stop thinking like that. It won't do you any good. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and prove them all wrong. Their opinions on you won't change if you don't change the opinions on yourself first. That's something that I needed to realize quite a while ago. Being a sad little girl won't do any good for me.

Looking up, I can feel a couple of tears welling in my eyes already. A group of Capitolites come walking by and one of the older girls stops as her group continues moving. She quickly walks towards me and smiles as she touches my shoulder. ''Mickaela, right?''

''Y-Yeah?'' I say, looking up and sniffing while wiping the tears away from my eyes. I continue to stareq up at her as she puckers her lips. ''What are you doing?''

''Staring at you, sweetie!''

''W-Why are you puckering your lips?'' I ask her, confused as to why she's acting so weird. Is this some type of method for speaking in Capitol? I should be more mindful to her, and I usually am, but this is just weird. But what if I was her, puckering at a tribute and watching as she gave me a dirty look? I know that I wouldn't feel good. ''I'm sorry, I'm just having a rough last day.''

''Why? Is it because you're afraid you're gonna die?'' she asks, and I'm pretty sure that question doesn't need an answer. Of course I'm afraid I'm gonna die. I have a family back at home that has to watch me do this again. And the worst part about it is that everyone is fighting to survive this time around. Some people were suicidal in my last games, but everyone wants to live now.

I want to give her a sarcastic remark, but as I think about it I realize that I could receive sponsors from this woman. But if she doesn't like me, she could go around telling all of her Capitol friends that I'm a useless tribute. But if I do get her to like me, she'd tell her friends and they'd all sponsor me. But what if I don't do well in the Arena? Who's gonna sponsor a little girl who can't entertain the Capitol in the Arena?

''This is just too much!'' I shout, realizing that I should've kept that to myself. The woman gives me a confused look as the strobe lights flash back and forth. Half of her face is purple while the other side is green. She places a hand on my cheek as she leans closer. ''C-Can I ask you a question?''

''Of course you can, sweetie!'' she says in an enthusiastic way, wiping the last bit of tears away from my eyelids. Who does she think she's touching? Her outfit's disgusting, with her horizontal green and orange stripes, her disgusting aqua blue colored hair, and the awkward tribute tattoos on her neck. What type of person dresses like this?! ''You're special! You can ask me anything!''

''W-Who are you planning on sponsoring?'' I ask abruptly, quickly changing the sad girl act into a determined one. The look on her face shows exactly how surprised she is by that question. But why is she so surprised? Everyone wants sponsors, especially me. Without sponsors, I'm not gonna survive in these games. ''Will you sponsor me?''

''M-Mickaela! What type of question is that?'' she says, placing her hand on her chest. ''Of course I'm going to sponsor you! Why wouldn't I sponsor you?''

''Because I'm a useless girl who has no chance of winning!'' I lay the truth on her, waiting to see the reaction on her face. ''Do you honestly promise to sponsor me? Truthfully, honestly promise? Do you pinky swear?''

''Yes, Mickaela, I pinky swear.'' she sighs, looking straight at me. I quickly stand up on my tip toes, placing my hands on her arm. I ask her if she swears on her life that she'd sponsor me, and she says that she would. I still don't believe her. ''Mickaela, listen, I said I was gonna sponsor you, and I will. I promise.''

''Thank you,'' I say, smiling at her and wrapping her in a hug, although I dislike her so much. Look at her. The smile on her face is so fake and I just want to wipe it clean off of those disgusting features of hers. ''Because if you don't you're gonna die in two years!''

She quickly pushes me away from the hug, staring into my eyes. ''What'd you say?'' I shake my head, telling her that I didn't say anything but I heard something suspicious. She chuckles, telling me that she also heard something suspicious-which is what I said. ''Anyway, Mickaela, I think I'll be heading off now.''

''Wait!'' I shout, running over to her and grabbing her hand. ''Please, help me get out of this room. The way towards the elevator is blocked, and I have no idea how to find my way there because of how tall everyone is. Can you help me up and find my way out of here, please?''

''Mickaela, I really would, darling,'' she says, that idiotic Capitol accent barely being heard because of the large amount of conversations going on in the room at the same time. ''I have to go, and I would love to help you, but there's things that I have to-''

''Please, just help me out this once,'' I say, my hands still gripping tight against hers. She looks down at my small palms as she rubs my smooth brown hair. ''What would the other Capitolites here think of you if you didn't help out a tribute?''

Wouldn't that hurt her image if anyone saw that?-it absolutely would. As I say that, she picks me up and begins walking towards the elevator. I thank her, but as soon as the doors close I completely start mocking her accent. I never actually got her name—nor did I want to—but she's definitely someone I see sponsoring me.

I just hope that she sticks to her word. I didn't think I'd be able to manipulate her, but it was easier than I thought. This is something that I can actually see myself doing more often—and I like it. This is one of the most fun things I've ever done; watching as she completely listened to me and promised to do what I asked her just made my day.

If only I got more people to agree with what I asked. Just thinking about manipulating others would make everything so much better. Once I get back to my District Floor I notice that nobody's here. Well, I should've known that my escort wasn't here. I remember seeing him down in the main lobby dancing the night away—he was pouring booze on his hair or something weird like that.

Capitolites...

Jamie isn't here, Julio's not here, Tres is having fun, so what do I do now? Just sit and watch as Capitolites-

The sound of glass breaking breaks me away from my thoughts. This is a classic horror movie situation. _Don't walk into the kitchen, don't walk into the kitchen, don't walk into the kitchen!_ I'm not walking into the kitchen. I try my best to ignore the sound and walk back into the elevator, but I trip while walking backwards and end up making a loud noise.

Because of that noise, some random guy comes running out of the kitchen and stares at me, a knife clutched in his hands. He moves closer towards me as I try crawling away from him, but he grabs my leg and raises me upside down, leaving my hair hanging against the floor. I do my best to escape his hold by kicking at his face, but he presses a knife against my leg and I instantly stop moving.

As I look back at him, I realize that it's that creepy District Six mentor. A smile crosses my face as I try my best to get him to leave me alone, but it doesn't seem like it'll be working anytime soon. ''You're District Six's mentor, aren't you?''

''Shut up!'' he shouts, pressing the knife further into my leg. Now I feel as though my skin is ripping, and that causes me to freak out. I can feel the burning pain that's not even there. _Calm, Mickaela. Stay calm. Find a way out of this situation_. ''Do you want me to kill you?!

''Kill me?'' I chuckle, staring right at him as the blood rushes to my head. ''I'd suggest you let me down now. You don't want anything bad happening to you, or are you that type of person who enjoys getting hurt?''

''Threats from a twelve-year-old girl? I don't think I'll heed them.'' he tells me, placing the knife on my left cheek. ''What could you possibly do that would hurt me?''

''Not what _I_ can do, but what my team can do,'' I say, instantly drawing his attention. ''What would Jamie think if I told him that you were threatening to kill me? What if the President somehow found out that you were threatening tributes? Especially a twelve-year-old little girl?''

''And how would they find that out?''

''I'd tell them, duh!'' I say, not being able to hold back how I feel. It's been a week and I figure this is the only time to actually say how I feel about someone. And this guy's just the perfect person to unleash havoc on. ''Sir, what's wrong with you? Do you enjoy teasing little girls and touching them in various places? I'm twelve, sir. Don't you understand how wrong you are? You're absolutely disgusting. Do you do this to your kids? You press a knife against their faces? What type of sick bastard does that?!''

''Me, okay? ME!'' he shouts, placing the tip of the blade near my temple. ''And how do you plan on telling them if you can't escape my grasp? Do you think I'm just gonna let you go?''

''Obviously not,'' I break it to him. ''Who in their right mind would think that? You just don't realize, do you? All of the drinks and drugs have gone to your hand, haven't they? There are cameras all over the place. In fact, there are three in front of you, four behind you, and at least six above you. They check the surveillance cameras every day, and finding you holding me upside down as you press a knife near my temple equals an automatic execution.''

''And what if I kill you now?'' he asks, his hands trembling as I do my best to stay calm. But in all honesty, I'm afraid that knife is gonna slip and stab me in the face. ''You think that anyone would care?!''

''No. Absolutely no-one would care if I died,'' I say, but it's in a sarcastic tone. ''What do you think, idiot?! Of course someone would. Now let me down, or else it's your life on the line. You know it's true, so why struggle against it? Just let me go, and everything will be alright.''

I feel like I'm speaking to a psycho—which is definitely horrifying. He listens to exactly what I say and puts me down softly. Manipulation... It's the power that solves all your problems. And just thinking about how much I could use it to benefit me... Especially on Parvati... Oh, the wonderful things I'd be able to get out of her. She's definitely a great asset to me now.

And trust me, I know it's wrong, manipulating them, but I can't die again. Failing isn't an option. As soon as that thought passes by my mind, Julio and Jamie both come back through the elevator, talking about something they forgot to get. Seems like they were having fun down at the party.

Both of their eyes meet the knife, causing them to run over to the District Six mentor and pin him down on the floor. Jamie stares at me as I begin to fake cry, doing my best to see what else I can do by manipulating others. ''You hurt?''

''No, he hurt me!'' I shout, pointing straight at him. ''He tried stabbing my in the leg, but I kicked his face. After that, he stabbed me in the cheek!'' I quickly press the blood from my leg on my finger and wipe it across my cheek.

''No, I did-'' he's quickly cut off by simultaneous punches from both Julio and Jamie. After that, Julio stares straight at me while Jamie puts the other mentor in all sorts of submission holds. Our eyes meet, and I do my best not to make my lips quiver. I'm sorry, but it's hilarious watching as they all crumble one-by-one.

It's wrong...

But it's also what I have to do to ensure my safety and survive.

* * *

 **Brysia Sanders, 15;**

 **District Eleven Female**

''Don't stop,'' Conly says, throwing money into the air. The Capitolites are all surrounding us all as sirens echo loudly, bouncing from wall-to-wall as music plays and fills the air with a dynamic sound. He's just following girls and dancing with them as I try to speak to him, but I can never get a full sentence in. I'm always being blocked by random Capitolites, and it's starting to get annoying. ''Go on, girl!''

The sirens get louder as the Capitol singers continue dancing on the stage that all of the other tributes and I were once on. ''Conly!'' I shout, just trying to catch his attention. Usually, I wouldn't be trying to get his attention, but I've got questions that I need him to answer. You know, some last minute advice that I could seriously use—or some advice that could possibly get me killed, but I don't want that!

We never even got to finish watching his game tapes, and I think I'll just sneak back up to the District Floor... after I get a couple of snacks in. I'm famished, especially since I didn't eat after those interviews. I was sort of nervous, but then I realized that there was nothing to be nervous about—because these were the same people who killed me the first time, and I should be scolding and hating them!

As I continue trying to make my way somewhat towards Conly, I get pushed out of the way and I watch as the District One mentor takes my spot and starts talking to him like nothing. Ugh, I forgot how much of good pair of friends they are. But even if they weren't, Victors show other Victors respect, right?

I still hate my mentor. Ever since my first impression on him, I knew that I wasn't gonna like him. He's so damn annoying, and he never listens to a fucking thing I say—and he still doesn't, even as it's the night before the games! Who am I supposed to get advice from now? Gari doesn't even know who I am, Quartz is probably with Cythrie somewhere else, and God help me I think I'm gonna grab a knife from the trays and throw it at someone.

''When the night calls, that's how you know it's lit,'' Conly says, continuing to dance as he has a glass bottle of booze in his hand. He continues shaking it in the air, even getting some on me. ''Freaks come out at night, turning our fantasies into life!''

What the hell does that mean? ''Order more bottles and models!'' he says, drawing the attention of other Capitolites as they begin walking over towards us. As soon as about fifty more people come near us, he begins reaching into his pocket and begins throwing money into the air. ''Order some more bottles, bitches, and take my money!''

''All the alcohol is getting to your head, Conly,'' Gari's voice rings into my ear, out of all the other people here. ''You're wild as it is on a regular basis, but you're even more fun as a drunk!''

The Capitolites surrounding us all start to cheer and yell out Conly and Gari's names as they continue dancing and sliding across the stage. ''CONLY!'' I shout, doing my best to get my voice heard through the thick space. Conly doesn't hear me, but Gari does. He gives me a nasty look as he does his best to completely ignore me.

''Someone kill the lights!'' Conly shouts, throwing his hands up into the air. ''I got the party favors! Just get pipe!'' Ugh, Conly seriously pisses me off at times. I know that he's young, but he doesn't have to act like an idiot! At least have some type of decency.

''Where the bottles at?!'' he continues shouting, fully drunk now. As I'm trying to get closer to him, Capitolites completely swarm me and tackle me to the ground, sitting on top of me and trying to get a picture. ''Oh-oh-oh, we want money, we want hoes, we want alcohol!''

''BRYSIA, TAKE A PHOTO WITH ME!'' an irritating voice rings in my ear, and it's hard to ignore their idiotic pleads. A couple of kids, who look to be around my age, start jumping on me and pretend wrestling. This is honestly very, very irritating.

I want to elbow them all in the face and start walking away, but it's difficult to do so. One of them is able to get somewhere near my face and accidentally pushes his hand down on my breast—which hurts a lot!

His hand stays there as he tries to pick himself up, but I don't let him by kicking him straight in the groin and slapping his face. A bright red mark removes the green face paint away from his cheeks. I pucker my lips and spit on the boys face as I start walking closer and closer towards Conly.

An Avox does his best to go through the crowd by dancing along with them, and he finally reaches Conly. Conly looks tired as fuck, and as soon as the Avox gets there he slaps the plate of glass drinks out of his hand.

''Do you have some spare change?'' Conly asks the Avox, after slapping the drinks away. ''I've got some hundreds I'll throw in your face...''

He continues dancing, singing and shouting into the air. Random words that don't even sound like English. He's babbling now, and it looks like he's about to throw up but he catches himself. ''Young, free, and wild!''

I don't understand why he's just yelling random stuff out. I mean, I get it's a party, but seriously? But who am I to blame? If I was a Victor, I'd probably be doing the same exact thing. ''Someone point me to the ice... And screw you!'' he says, yelling at the Avox. ''I don't need your drinks... High on life!''

I'm quite done with actually trying to speak to him. But then again, why not try again? Giving up won't get me anywhere, so I should at least give it one more try. I make my way through the crowd of people by sucking in my stomach and dancing right past them. It's like being at a pool party, but there's no space to swim because everyone's right next to each other!

Finally making my way through the crowd, I notice Gari and Conly both sitting on chairs adjacent to each other. Gari is just shoving beer bottles down his throat as he drinks and some booze foams from his mouth, while Conly is over here pouring his booze on females' breasts and throwing money on them, making them soggy and wet.

Gross.

''Conly!'' I shout, running straight past the crowd of people surrounding them and trying to make contact. Before I can even reach him, a couple of hands grab mine and pull me back. As I look up, I see Capitolites staring and smiling at me.

''Brysia, oh my God!'' a Capitolite brings me face-to-face. It's an adult woman, and she's here with her two friends who all begin to tap me and start touching my hair. One of them puts their hand into it fully and starts pulling at it. It hurts like crazy, and I just can't help but give them a dirty look.

''Get off!'' I shout, pushing them away as I try to escape their hold, but end up tripping and landing right in front of a group of people. As I look up, I notice the light shining on Conly and Gari, almost as if they were Gods. Picking myself up and dusting my clothes, I begin to walk over towards the two Victors.

Finally making my way towards Conly, I grab the drink in his hand and push the models away. He quickly stops as everyone else continues.

''Conly!''

''What?''

''Please, please give me some advice before I enter the Arena tomorrow!'' I say, basically yelling at the top of my lungs at this point.

''All the money... t-the alcohol...''

''CONLY!''

''Alcohol... All these hunnids, all these thousands, I'ma spend it all.. On... Alcohol, models...''

My hand meets his face in an abrupt motion.

"Look, in all honesty," he says,making me think that he's somewhat sane again. All the alcohol's gone to his brain already, and it's like he's not even here anymore. "It's a fifty-fifty chance I'ma ditcha..."

"Are you kidding me?!" I'm yelling over the music right now. "I could be dead tomorrow and rather than giving me some potentially life saving advice, you want to stick to these 'dancers' like white on rice. They'll be here tomorrow, but news flash, I might not be! So pull your head out of your ass and do your fucking job!"

As I look around, I notice that everyone's staring at drops his bottles and I'm completely out of it at this point. All of them staring at me, my blood pressure rising, the useless mentor... I'm dizzy right now, and I feel like I'm gonna f-f-faint...

"Did you have the time of your life tonight?" a familiar voice causes me to wake up, and when I do I see that it's Conly, with a dancer. Ugh. "Let's have the after party in my room."

As he says that, I hear footsteps crashing against the wooden tiles. Someone carried me back to my bed... Conly, most likely... I look at the clock near my bed, checking to see what time it is. It's one in the morning, and I have to wake up at six...

This definitely isn't in my favor.

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy, so this chapter was supposed to be out on Friday, but I had no motivation to write that day. It was hot, I could've easily turned the A.C. or a fan on, but I was lazy and didn't give a damn. This is gonna be a quick A/N because I had to rewrite it after not saving last time. You guys should definitely check out RookieWriter96's SYOT Lest We Forget, and submit to her sequel. Nellie's holding early submissions, and if you like my writing you'll love hers. She's so talented and her writing is definitely unique. And definitely amazing. Like, I die whenever reading her chapters.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed seeing some of Hero's mature side andMickaela's manipulation. And all of the other development. Agh, this chapter was definitely rushed. Well, towards the end. I promised a couple of you that I'd get it up, and although it's almost midnight I wanted to keep my word. If anything, the ending of this chapter, near Brysia's POV, was where I started to say, "screw it." It didn't come out exactly as I planned, and I'm kinda ashamed of this chapter, but I hope you guys liked it. Most of it was where I was directing it, but the lack of dialogue, which this was supposed to be a chapter full of dialogue, made it really disappointing. There was some here and there, but it was mostly thought. But, oh well!**

 **I also recommend listening to Tale As Old As Time while reading Hesha's it was cute and lovely. I was aiming for that. And for Brysia's thing with Gari and Conly talking about alcohol, money, hoes, and bottles, I suggest Nightcrawler by Travis Scott. Or any other party song. Baby... I'm wasted... ;U (Thank you for TAOAT, Cloe)** **Also, for the questionlast chapter, I'm surprised only two of you got it. I thought it was pretty simple. "Ask your District Partner." I thought it was a dead giveaway that the Victor was from District Ten, but alright. It was also female and deceased. Rebel... At a bar... Jumped... Pity... Gone... With the angels... In the clouds... :/ So congrats Cloe and Abby for getting the questions right. 1500 for you both ;)**

 **I think I'm done with handing out sponsor points now. I'd say that you all have a sufficient amount to keep your tribute(s) alive. And before you go, just know that you might see another chapter tomorrow. After Launch, I'll be handing you guys a virtual Christmas present. You guys probably don't care, but I thought I should inform you. :) Hopefully it'll be good enough to please you guys, since I don't plan on updating too much after that. This story has definitely been on a slower update speed. I loved how I updated in the beginning, but this has definitely descended. Sadly, I might not be able to end this story during the time I wanted to, and that could** **mean even slower updates ;/ Honestly, it sucks, but I'll do my best. Onto the questions!**

* * *

 **Did you enjoy Hesha's dance?**

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least Favorite POV?**

 **Who do you see dying at the Bloodbath?**

 **Who do you see getting a kill?**

 **Favorite tribute out of these four?**

* * *

 **Anyway, that's all for tonight. Sorry if the ending of the chapter and this A/N made no sense. Ha ha, I rushed the crap out of this and didn't care for proof reading, but that's no excuse. But really, you guys should definitely submit to Nellie. She's amazing, and I have to say that I fall in love with all of her chapters. Also, don't submit the male. We're fighting if you do, bitch, okay. Shank you with a pencil, fam. Nah, but don't. ._. That's Florian's spot ;) Besides that, I'll see you all in next chapter, which will hopefully be out tomorrow! Bye! ^-^**


	18. What We've Been Waiting For

**Launch:**

* * *

 **Nathan Evans, 16;**

 **District Eight Male**

Last time I checked, it was four in the morning. Right now I'm just not sure anymore. I couldn't sleep because I was dreading today. It's the day that we enter the Arena, and I'm not looking forward to it. Candice is definitely pumped—I know that for sure. She was in her room, reciting some random chant as her lights were dimmed.

I'm not sure what I saw, but when I peeked to see what was going on, there were just candles surrounding her bed and a splatter of blood on her sheets. Honestly, I thought she was on her period until I saw a knife on her pillow—which I can definitely say scared that crap out of me.

Candice—someone who I know could possibly kill me in the Arena today—is someone I'm trying to understand. Like, I don't hate her, because hating someone is just wrong, but everything I do makes her hate me even more than she already does. How do you work with someone who wants to shred your throat? I'm even hesitant about making eye-contact with her!

But Candice is one of those people that makes this World corrupt. Instead of hating against the Capitol and wanting to cause a rebellion—like most people in the games do—she's just praying to her Lord and asking him to give her power or something like that. It's despicable, and I wish I could tell this to someone, but the words won't leave the surface of my mouth.

The strong wind, fierce like a hurricane, continues to blow against my hair. The shadows in the sky that are covering the moon quickly make their way over my head, darkening the area that I was currently sitting in. The autumn breeze swiftly blew leaves below the skyscraper down towards the front entrance and towards the streets of the Capitol. Freedom has ended, and I'm currently the last person awake, spending my final moments of peace up here. Alone.

A small cup of coffee in my hand—only to make me more energetic about this entire circumstance. It's just sad, difficult, and pitiful. Just knowing that in the matter of two hours I'm going to be in the Arena really puts a toll on me. My one week of life has come an end, and now I'm back in a living hell. Being through this once wasn't enough, was it? They just had to bring me back into this disgusting country and make me compete again.

My eyes closed, I lie on my back and keep the mug to my right, hoping that it doesn't slide off of the roof. The heavy wind continues to blow and push my hair back, covering my eyelids. A small tear seeps from my eye, drawing it's attention down to my neck and finally letting itself relax there and be absorbed. My temperature decreases as I begin to feel cold, and now I'm just waiting for someone to find me up here and to comfort me.

Someone, just anyone—hopefully not Candice, though.

If it were, I'd surely be dead in the matter of seconds. Or maybe she'd drag it out and make me suffer in pain. Something very, very unfortunate for anyone who gets caught in her grasp. It's sad, disgusting, inhumane and plain out evil. This World that we live in his full of people like that. Take the Capitolites who are walking in the streets right now for example.

They're laughing it up because they don't have to go into the Arena, but I do—and so do twenty-three others who could all potentially die. My chances of winning are one in twenty-four, and that's not a high percentage, especially when comparing to the tributes that I'm up against, even though they have the same percent as I do. Who in their right mind would think of dead tributes receiving a _10_?

And not to mention how bloodthirsty most of them are. Even the boy from Eleven poses a threat to me, and he hasn't spoken or made any type of interaction with any tribute in the Capitol so far. I've seen him train, and the things he does are just brutal. But there's something about him that's off. And then there's Asyrin. He's just the definition of psycho. How do you compete with a person who wouldn't hesitate on killing you?

I'm scared. I'm brutally, honestly, truly scared of what's about to come. I just don't wanna die again. I can't. Dealing with the pain, the sorrow, missing my loved ones... it's all too much. It's just not worth competing for. Their entertainment doesn't satisfy my needs, so why should I satisfy theirs by killing others? Why do they do this to us? It's been a hundred and seventy-five years and they're still at this game.

I thought games were supposed to be fun—but this one definitely isn't. How would they feel being in our position? But can I even say our? I could be the only person who feels this way, for all I know. Something needs to change. This World needs a war, a revolution, a rebellion. Something that will work this time. Not just a simple get in and get out. I know that it'll take months—maybe even years—to get a group of people who are willing to risk their lives to stop the Capitol, but I'm not afraid to try.

''Nathan?'' Miliona's voice calls out, instantly catching my attention. My head jolts up as she begins walking towards me. Once she finally reaches me, she crouches down and places a hand on my shoulder. ''You okay? We were worried about you.''

''Why?'' I ask softly, trying to hold back the tears from escaping my eyes. I do my best to avoid staring at her, but my head twitches up. She stares into my eyes as the tears just rush out uncontrollably. ''W-Why would you be worried about me?''

''Nathan...'' she says, placing her hand on my shoulder. ''Don't cry. I know this is tough on you, but-''

''And why shouldn't I cry?!'' I shout, my throat dry and my voice harsh. ''They're sending me back into the same games that killed me once, and they expect me to be okay with that?!''

''Nathan, it's okay,'' she says, trying her best to calm me down, but how the hell can I calm down in a moment like this?! ''You don't have to-''

''I DON'T HAVE TO WHAT, MILIONA?!'' I yell, my voice managing to grow louder and louder by the minute. ''I DON'T HAVE TO ENTER THE GAMES?! THAT'S A DAMN LIE! THIS ISN'T RIGHT! THE CAPITOL AND ALL OF THESE IDIOTC SUPPORTERS OF THE GAMES DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE! YOU'VE BEEN IN THE GAMES ONCE, SO WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL?! I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS!''

For once I'm not that kind little boy who goes with whatever everyone says. I'm actually yelling and fighting back, sharing how I feel about this whole situation, and not being that fragile person that everybody thinks I am. Sadly, there's no point in saying all of this now. No-one in their right mind would listen to me, that's for sure.

Without a warning, Miliona forcefully wraps her arms around my back and brings me into a tight hug that squeezes all of the air out of me. I feel so pitiful right now. The way I'm letting my tears escape makes me feel so relaxed. I'm letting everything out and all of the feelings that I kept in throughout this entire week have finally escaped from my mouth, and I'm left at peace.

''Come on, Nathan. Let's go back to the suite,'' says Miliona, holding my hand and helping me up. She kicks the mug aside and it slides down the roof, hitting the ground but quickly shooting back up. I forgot all about the force field. This was the exact same thing I did last time I was alive. Staying up here each and every night was my way of relaxing. It just felt right.

Apparently it's six right now. I didn't know that my thoughts took up an hour or two of my time, since I didn't know what time I reached the roof. I'm hoping that these games aren't too rough on me this time around, because dealing with the pain and suffering of loss is terrible. I just hope that everyone in my alliance survives. I couldn't stand them dying.

But what about myself?

I don't know if I'm willing to risk my life for theirs. Although I know that I want them to live, I'm not sure if I'm willing to give myself up. Maybe if I know that they have a better than than me I will, but as of now I don't see it happening. But that doesn't matter right now. I shouldn't be worried about risking my life for my allies. The only thing I should be worried about is going over our strategy and figuring out what the Arena is.

Oh, man, the Arena. We haven't heard a single thing about it. ''Miliona, do you have any idea on what the Arena is? Like, any idea on how it could possibly benefit my alliance and I?''

''Well, I'm not really supposed to tell you anything, but maybe I could give you a couple of hints.'' she manages to tell me, looking all over the place to see if anyone's listening. ''Just know that temperature plays a big role in the Arena this year.''

''What does that mean?''

''Around the cornucopia, you'll be freezing,'' she says, continuing to make sure nobody's around. ''Depending on where you go the Arenas temperature will change. It might be humid, hot, or cold. Those three temperatures play a big part this year, and it's a fairly ginormous Arena.''

''What do you mean?''

''Ice village, humidly wet forest, open desert with a stream, cave entrance, and an Egyptian landscape. Remember those five.''

Ice village, humidly wet forest... open desert, cave entrance, and an Egyptian landscape..? What does all of that have to do with... Oh my God. The Arena... There are... Wow! How did I not notice that before? There were so many hints going around, yet I never realized what they were.

I got it!

The Arena is...

* * *

 **Levi Wyatt, 17;**

 **District Five Male**

The bright light shines on my face through the closed curtains. The sun's taken it's place in the sky this morning and let the clouds all fade away. Rapidly blinking, I look around my room to see what's going on. Although I should be squinting my eyes shut and ignoring everything, I can't help but just sit up—and when I do, I see Kelsin sitting on the edge of my bed.

She slowly turns her head and looks at me, a forced smile on her face. Her lips are vigorously quivering, and I can't help but give her a sad look. Today's the day, after all. I have to go into the games today—for a second time—and I might not return.

For a moment, I kind of regret spending so much time with Kelsin. If I didn't I wouldn't have this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know for a fact that I'm gonna miss her the most out of everyone here. And although she's my mentor, I can't help but have a romantic feeling for her.

''Levi...'' she mutters, staring right at me. I almost want to cry because of how much I'm gonna miss this girl. She's been everything for me throughout this week. It hurts so much to be letting go today, especially since she's the only person I haven't been too troubled to talk with about my past.

Talking with Kelsin is a blessing itself, and I can't help but love that. She's the only person here who gets me, and she doesn't mind me crying. Sharing my thoughts and feelings with her was the best part about this whole trip back to life. I can't thank her enough for being such a wonderful person.

''I don't wanna go, Kelsin,'' I say, looking right at her as I start to feel pain in my chest. ''I don't wanna leave you, and I definitely don't wanna die again. I'm gonna miss you so much.''

''Levi, I don't wanna let go, either,'' she forces out, wiping the tears from her cheek. Her voice is harsh, and the emotions that she's feeling now are greater than mine. I love being with this girl so much, and it's so hard to leave her. ''But you have to go into that Arena today...''

''I know...'' the words are barely audible because of how low I'm speaking. ''Kelsin, I want to cry so much right now. I don't want to leave you, or go back into these games. And it really, really hurts. My chest is burning, my throat is raw, and I-I can barely hold back my-''

She quickly turns around and wraps her arms around my neck, leaning into me and placing me in a hug. I wrap my arms around her waist and just bury my head into her shoulder. Everything that I'm feeling is being let out in these tears of mine.

''Leaving you really breaks my heart,'' I say, my face still buried in her shoulder. ''I can't stand leaving you. It pains me so much, Kelsin.''

''It hurts me, too, Levi,'' she says, crying so much at this point. Her tears are like river streams now. The amount of water coming out of her eyes reminds me of the dam back in Five. They drip from her chin onto the sheets that I'm in, making them soggy and wet but I couldn't care less right now. The only thing that's important to me is spending my final hour with her—and only her.

''This sucks so much,'' I say, pushing my head back and looking into her eyes. ''If I could stay here with you forever I would.''

''And I'd do the same,'' she manages, her voice almost inaudible, just like mine. She holds the back of my head gently and places my forehead on hers. We just sit there like that for minutes. I can't help but enjoy this moment—even though my life is on the line today.

It's too difficult—thinking about leaving Kelsin. I just want to clear my mind of everything, lie back on my bed and fade off into sleep. I could barely keep my eyes shut yesterday night. I don't want to admit it, but I'm so scared.

And the thing is that I don't wanna be scared. If I am, I'll tremble on my pedestal and have targets on my back. And what's worse about it is that anyone could kill me. The more I think about it, I realize that everyone's fighting for another opportunity at life. Who's gonna let it down?

Even my own allies could be planning on killing me, but I don't want to think about that. I just hope that we're safe during the bloodbath, and that everything goes according to plan.

''I think it's time that you get ready,'' Kelsin says, slowly unwrapping her hands around me. ''I'll be outside waiting, okay?'' She slowly walks away, looking back at me as she enters the main lobby. My breathing is so slow now, and I can't help myself from just letting everything out.

My body is burning, and I can't help but bury my face into my knees now. The sobs that I let out are loud and are probably heard by everyone else on our District Floor. I don't mind if they do hear, because who wouldn't be crying at a time like this?

I finally drag myself out of bed and head to the bathroom. The devices that the Capitol received from Three definitely helps out when you're too upset to do things on your own.

After brushing my teeth, I head into the shower and just stand there. The water that pours on my head just makes me feel relaxed. Although I'm still crying right now, I just feel like I'm safe in this tub. I want to lie down in the tub and rest my hands on my chest, but I can't find the strength to do so.

Staying in here forever is something I'd like to do, but I've gotta be strong. For Kelsin, for my mom and Leroy, and for dad... He'd be proud of me if I won, proved Leroy's innocence and made mom live with me, despite his hatred for the games. I can't stay here feeling sorry for myself, and I can't just lie down while everyone else does everything for me.

I at least have to try.

Closing the water, I hop out of the shower and dry myself off. My hair is soaked down on my forehead, so I rinse it out in the sink. I wrap the towel around my waist and walk outside to see an outfit put on the bed for me. The time came sooner than I thought it would, and although I'm dreading what's about to come, I know that sulking and crying isn't gonna make anything better.

I finish putting on some of the moisturizers that they left next to my Arena Attire on. The lotion makes my skin feel wet and slippery, the container of gel leaves my hair a bit pointy and slicked back, and the deodorant leaves a stinging feeling on my armpits.

I start putting on the outfit, starting with the hiking pants that someone left out. They're almost like leggings, and they're just a little bit tight on me, but they also have reinforced knees. After that I slowly slide on the black long-sleeved shirt that's tight against my chest. The detail to it is quite nice. They have moving snowflakes on them, which I really enjoy. Every time I move my arm up, they move up. Every time I move my arm down, they move down. Next, I slide on a fuzzy winter vest, and so far I'm guessing the Arena has something to do with ice.

Finishing up my outfit, I roughly slide on the boots that they let out. The outer coating of it is a bronze brown, the laces are golden and the tongue of the boots are black, and so are the upper sides of both boots. The feeling of the shoe is just... weird. Like, there's mushy stuff on the inside, and it's freezing my feet, even through the socks.

It's kind of soft, but squeezing all of it at the same time feels awkward. After putting everything on I decide to walk out of my room and into the main lobby. Once I get out everyone turns their head and stare at me, as I flash them a quick smile.

Kelsin's eyes are still a bit moist, which causes me to grow a bit emotional myself. I slowly shake my head, doing my best to keep hope. I don't want anyone here to be sad, especially not Kelsin. Watching her grow emotional makes me grow emotional, and that's not something I want to happen.

Devlin pulls out a seat for me to sit down on and motions me over to come have breakfast with the rest of our team. I sit down and grab a simple bowl of cereal as everyone else takes something fancy. I can't help but eye Enigma, since she's the person I'm going into this Arena with.

''Well this is awkward,'' Patricia acknowledges, putting her plate of eggs and bacon down on the table. Instead of ignoring us, like she normally would, she stands up and slams her hands down onto the table, shocking everyone around. ''What are you guys doing?! Instead of telling these tributes that they could possibly win, you're being quiet and just eating your meals as you look at each other!''

''And you guys,'' she complained, using both of her hands to point at Enigma and I. We both look at each other, at our mentors, and then back at Patricia. ''Don't just sit there and pretend as if you're not about to cry! Enigma! I can clearly see the tears welling up in your eyes, and that thing you have with your little ''boyfriend'' isn't gonna make anything better. If you truly love him or whatever, go out there and be confident! Try your best to win!''

''And you, Levi!'' she raged, catching me by surprise. ''You are one of the most loved tributes in the Capitol, and you're being shy and all quiet! Wipe those tears away from your eyes; and stop crying! Everyone here knows about you and Kelsin's feelings for each other, and it's quite obvious to see that you'll clearly miss each other. Now I know that it's wrong, but it's cute, and I totally ship it, but if you want to see her again and make her happy, then come out of these games alive!''

She slowly descends, sitting back down in her chair and sighing. ''I've never said this before, but I love both of you. Enigma, Levi, I want to see one of you guys come back here. And I'll be grieving the other one's death, but seeing one of your faces again, outside of that Arena... That would be the best thing in the World for me. I've known you guys for a week and I'm already attached. Please. Just one of you two, return. If not for yourselves, for me! For your families! For your mentors!''

Tilting my head up, I stare at the clock and realize that it's ten minutes until we have to depart. ''Um, I think it's time to leave, guys...'' I interrupted the five seconds of silence that we were all put through. ''And thank you, Patricia. It meant a lot. Enigma and I will do anything to come back to you guys.''

''That's more of the spirit!'' she spat, jumping from her seat and skipping to the elevator. ''Come on! We don't want you guys to be late!'' She's right, we shouldn't be late. Enigma and Delvin both hurry up into the elevator as I stay back and push in all of the chairs. Kelsin catches my eye as I finish pushing her chair in.

''After you,'' I gesture towards the elevator, a smile crossing my face. She looks up at me with a smile and then begins to move. I slowly walk behind her, taking one last good luck at the beautiful room, as we all aboard the elevator, reaching the roof of the skyscraper in less than thirty seconds. There we see ever other tribute speaking to their mentors and escorts for one last time.

There are two hovercrafts that have their blades on, blowing tough wind towards us all. Kelsin's hair starts swaying across her face. Automatically my arm shoots up and brushes her hair down, causing her to give me a bright smile and thank me. Once I turn around, I see the boy from Seven staring at me, the girl from Eight glaring as her mentor continues speaking, and the boy from Two just shaking with excitement.

''Guys, final moment here,'' Delvin comments on us all staring at the other tributes. ''Take one good look at your final moment of peace. From here on out, there's no coming back unless you win these games. You won't be back here anytime soon, so please do your best in that Arena. No regrets. Just live your second life to the best that you can in these last days of life, and please... I beg... One of you must return.''

Enigma and I just stare at each other, our eyes locking as I see both of our mentors looking at us through my peripheral vision. Slowly moving my hand up, I reach it out to shake Enigma's hand. She looks at me in an expression of shock at first, but then slowly smiles at me. We're not allies, but saying a final goodbye before we some day meet up in that Arena is the best I can do as of now. Or at least, I hope we don't have to face off.

 _''Tributes, please make your way to one of the two hovercrafts,''_ instructs a deep voice. _''We will be departing soon. District Partners on separate hovercrafts.''_

''Well, I guess it's time to be departing now,'' says Enigma, looking down. She walks over to Kelsin and they hug each other for at least three minutes, then she lets go and walks over towards Delvin, giving him a hug and receiving a kiss on the cheek. She smiles shyly as she waves goodbye and enters the hovercraft that Domino got on.

''It's time for you to leave, too, Levi.''

''I know...''

Slowly walking towards Delvin, he leaves his hand out for a handshake but I quickly wrap my arms around him and bring him into a hug. It shocks him for a bit, but then he hugs me back. A small, wet droplet falls onto my head, making me smile. After the first hovercraft starts to slowly move, I let go and smile at him.

I turn to Kelsin, who stands there with a river forming from tears that descended from her eyes. The way her lips quiver just hurts me on the inside, and I can't help but start crying, too. I jolt forward, quickly hugging Kelsin and wrapping my arm around her body. ''I just... c-can't let you go!'' I cried, holding on to her tightly. ''I-I'm g-gonna m-miss you so much! I got too close and a-accustomed to you, and now I can't l-let go!''

''I-I know you did, but I don't regret a thing,'' she replies, crying into my shoulder this time. ''And I'm gonna do my best to get you sponsors in that Arena, along with Enigma. I love you both so much, but you leaving... It's ripping me apart.''

''We got too close,'' I quiver, my body vigorously shaking. ''You make it hard to let you go, and there's n-not a d-damn thing that I-I-I can do about it... I-I have to go, but I don't want to ever l-leave you. You've fomented into my h-heart, and it p-pains me so much..!''

''I-It hurts me, too, Levi,'' she says, slowly letting go of my grip. ''But you have to go, and you _have_ to return. Please. For me, for District Five, for your family. I know you can do it, and I'll be rooting for you. And I just want you to know that-''

Me leaning into her, cutting her off, one hand around her waist, the other behind her head, I slowly press my lips against Kelsin's. We stay like that for a while, until most of the tributes have boarded the hovercrafts, slowly wanting to let go but we're not able to. I run my fingers through her hair, kissing her more passionately. The feeling of the kiss wasn't explainable, and we both knew that it felt nice; we just didn't want to stop, but we had to.

Slowly letting go of her head, I place my hand on her chin and turn around, walking towards the right hovercraft. Before I aboard it, I stop right in front of it and turn around. As I stare straight at Kelsin, I can't help but feel more tears well up. ''Wish me luck!'' I shout.

Now I begin to slowly walk up into the hovercraft, thinking about what I did. I don't regret it at all, and I'm so happy I finally got to let that out, even if I didn't say anything. She knew exactly what I meant. And because of that, my reasons for coming back home has another one added to the list: to come back to Kelsin.

I guess it's time to survive now. This is gonna be a pain, but I gotta do what it takes.

For them.

* * *

 **Quartz Fields, 16;**

 **District Eleven Male**

The female peacekeeper grabs a hold of my arm and tries to press a syringe into it, but I quickly yank it back. I stare up at her as I closely inspect her doctor-like outfit. She's wearing so much protection it makes me feel that she's trying to stay away from a contagious disease.

''Give me your arm!'' she says aggressively.

I stick my arm out, letting her grab it and push the syringe into it. It stings for just a little, but not much after a couple of seconds. The lady completely ignores me after that and walks over to the District One male—who sits right next to me.

This is quite exciting, actually. I'm able to go into that Arena today, with these wonderful kids all around me. Look at a cast we have: the boy from One, the girl from Two, the boy from Three, the girl from Four, the boy Five, the boy from Six, the boy from Seven, the girl from Eight, the girl from Nine, the boy from Ten, me, and the boy from Twelve.

Each and everyone of them is gonna be fun to run after in the Arena. I'm gonna enjoy hammering a knife down onto each and every one of their necks. They'll all die pitifully by my hands as I slowly watch their crimson blood drip from the tip of my knife's blade.

I wanna hear them cry, scream and yell in pain. Call for their mothers and fathers as I slowly outline the edge of their faces. I'll drown them in their own pool of blood after I puncture multiple spots in their bodies, laughing as they beg for me to stop. Especially _him_. The boy from Three is gonna get an ass beating in that Arena, and boy am I gonna have fun with that.

''Hey, hey,'' says Carter, quickly standing up as the female peacekeeper grabs his arm. ''Don't touch me, you filthy bitch. Do you know how expensive I am? Make on mistake and I'll have all these Capitolites mob you after my victory.''

''Be quiet and hand me your arm.'' she forces, grabbing Carter's hand as he looks at her in complete shock. The boy then stands up on his tippy toes as he tries to get a good look at her before saying something.

''Keep talking, bitch,'' Carter bursts out. This is the only time I think I've ever seen him actually angry. And I like it. Can't wait to see what he does with that fury in the Arena. ''Watch when I come back. You'll be dead, you'll be dead, and you'll be dead!'' Carter starts pointing to everyone in the hovercraft.

''Keep talking like that,'' interrupts the girl from Eight, her head tilted straight at the floor as she plays with her fingers. ''You're the first one I'm coming after in the Arena today.''

''Oh, really?'' says Carter, starting to get intrigued by her comment. ''And what are you gonna do? You're my Queen, okay? Queens don't hurt their Kings, but Kings, like me, have no problem sending their disrespectful Queens like you off to their deaths.''

''You think you can just send _me_ off to my death?!'' Candice shouts, standing up and rushing towards Carter. We all stare as she grabs him by the collar of his undershirt and pushes him into the wall, leaning into his face and headbutting him. As she continues shouting at him, I just realized that the female and male outfits aren't that similar.

Instead of a vest, they wear simple coats. They also have berets, scarfs, and leggings on, along with knee-high boots. As I stare at everyone, I realize that we almost look casual. Like, none of us are in some silly Capitolite outfit, but we're actually dressed... normally...

Thinking about our outfits drew my attention away from the conflict going on. As I turn back around I see Candice being pulled off of a bloody Carter, his nose busted and everything. He has a large blue bruise under his eye, and his forehead has a small cut. His breathing is difficult, especially whenever he leans forward and tries to hold onto his neck.

His partner, Cia, walks over to him. I watch as they both start joking about how Candice only did that because she likes him or something like that. Well, I guess he got what was coming to him, because I would've done much worse. Much, much worse.

 _Mother_ , that word pops into my mind. No! Not now! Why now of all times?! Why now..? What did I do to deserve something like this?! What did I do?! M-My mother... s-she... ''Dammit!'' I shout, drawing everyone's attention on accident. The hovercraft goes quiet as everyone stares at me, and even the immature boy from One is giving me an awkward look.

The girl from Two wraps her arm around his and leans into him as everyone looks like they're judging me. The boy from Six and Ten both begin talking, but I can hear my name coming from their lips. I-I just want to walk over all of their broken bones as I ascend to rightful place as Victor. I just want to forget about everything that happened in my past; I just want to end my depression.

''Well, well,'' Carter groans, slowly walking towards me. ''Looks like we've got someone who isn't afraid to speak. What's up with you? Are you trying to fight me, too? Because I'll go with you any day of the week, man. Fight me right here, right now! I'm ready, kid!''

Everyone stays quiet as Carter continues yelling at me, his spit flying everywhere. I want to get up and make him _bleed_ , but something's stopping me. My body just isn't able to move, and I don't know what to do. They all begin smiling, laughing as I let a fifteen-year-old cunt shout at me.

''And this is why you're gonna die! You let me do this to you while we were waiting to go into the Training Room,'' Carter brings up, causing me widen my eyes in shock. ''And now you're letting me do it to you in front of _everyone_ , even peacekeepers! Your fate is sealed, okay? You're my kill in that Arena.''

Something inside of me wants to jump up and swing at his neck, knocking all of the air right out of him. I want, want, want to kill him so bad. I want to see him bleed; I want to see him cry; I want to see his face ripped apart! My knife... digging into that annoying skull of his, causing him to cry. Squeal like a little piggy, cry like a child, die like a coward.

''And look who else is on this hovercraft, Cia,'' Carter says, staring at the boy from One and the girl from Two. ''We've got the childish career and penis grabber over here!''

''They're both obviously gonna die by our hands. I mean, who the hell are they?!'' questions Cia, slowly approaching the two, just like Carter did. ''Wait, wait, she's the one with the kid, right?!''

''Yeah,'' Carter responds, eyeing her up and down. ''She was the one who got knocked up with that boy back in Two... Klyde, Klose... No, Klaus. It was Klaus! And now she's back and thinks she's gonna get sponsors just because she has a child. Hate to break it to ya, but you're not getting shit.''

''Seriously,'' Cia backs up Carter. ''You think anyone's gonna feel pity for you? You obviously wanted it if you didn't tell him to wrap it up. And you probably should've made sure that his pull-out game was strong enough to continue. Dumb bitch thinks she has a chance, ha!''

Everyone's entirely quiet now, even the peacekeepers are just standing back and watching. ''Hey, why don't we reenact what happened that night?!''

The peacekeepers in the back begin to laugh as Carter and Cia both start humping the ground, moaning the name of the guy that they just mentioned. I guess they were paying attention during the interviews, because I surely wasn't and I have no idea what the hell they're talking about.'

The girl from Two begins to grow impatient and angry, tightening her jaw. She looks like she's growing emotional, but there's something about her that's keeping the tears away. She tries to get up but she's pulled back down by the boy from One. He just closes his eyes as he shakes his head.

When did he suddenly become the mature one? ''I would kill them both, if I was you. Not that I don't already plan on it,'' says Candice, breaking the silence of everyone. ''Make them pay. And then later on you and I can go one-on-one. I'm gonna enjoy snapping each and everyone of you guys in half.''

''Well, talk about conflict,'' the boy from Six says, laughing his ass off. ''Maybe I should've joined in on that, don't you think, Julio?''

''Do whatever you want,'' Julio sighs. ''Just don't get yourself killed. Lark and I still need you to be part of the alliance if we wanna go far.'' The boy from Six quickly looks back, a devilish look on his face. Julio looks up, becoming shocked—like the rest of us—by the boy's look.

''Don't. Bring. Him. Up.'' Six says, trying to calm himself down. ''We don't need him, Julio. Me and you, we'll go all the way, okay. I don't wanna hear anything about Lark. He's gonna get himself killed, and when he does you and I are gonna go far. He's just a waste. What has he done that's been productive?!''

''Why are you saying that?''

''Because he's weak!''

''Yet he got a higher Training Score than you, am I right?''

The tension in this hovercraft has risen a thousand times higher than it already was. Everyone's looking at each other in pure hatred except for the boys from Seven and Five, and the girl from Nine. As I closely look at the boy from Seven, I can clearly see that he's giving everyone in the room dirty looks, but he quickly changes the look when I stare at him.

And just like that, after minutes of soaring through the air in this hovercraft, we start to descend. Everyone's facial expression changes. It's gone from calm to scared in an instance. I can already feel the butterflies in my stomach, and I don't want to feel them. Even the boy from Seven doesn't seem prepared. Those dirty looks that he gave just turned from confident to pain-filled.

The boy from Five just looks plain out scared. I want to say that I feel bad for him, but I can't—because I want to kill him. Placing my hand in his pool of blood and rubbing it all across my outfit.

We finally land, making every tribute in here feel a bit awkward. I'm scared myself, to tell you the truth. And even though I'm excited for this, I still can't get over my depression and this sick feeling in my stomach—something bad's gonna happen. Something really, really bad.

We're all unbuckled and told to line up, besides the two boys from Three and Twelve. I don't know how they got out of their seats, but the peacekeepers didn't seem to care. Finally, the hovercraft stops and enters a building that looks too small for two hovercrafts to be inside.

But that doesn't matter anymore, because we're here. We're finally here.

* * *

 **Isha Levine, 18;**

 **District Two Female**

A peacekeeper begins instructing me down a hallway that has District Two marked on it. As I turn my head to the left, I can see Asyrin already entering a room. The peacekeeper reaches the end of the hallway and opens up the door on my right, nudging me to go inside.

Doing as I'm instructed, I walk inside and see my stylist, but I'm not too excited to see her. I'm not angry at them, but I'm more pissed off at what those two in the hovercraft said. What happened that night wasn't something I did to myself, but I do have to take action for it. But that doesn't give them the right to talk about it like they were there; like they knew exactly what happened!

Because they don't.

''Isha, sweetie!'' yells my stylist, walking towards me and wrapping me in a hug. I hesitantly place my arm around her, since I'm not used to doing things like this. Luckily for me, Hero taught me how to let go a little bit and just relax, but I'm not perfect at it yet. ''Oh, sweetie, I'm gonna miss you so much!''

''I'm not dead yet,'' I try my best to joke, chuckling a little bit. But it's not funny. I can't die again, and I can't let go. This is just too difficult for me. There's Colette, and then there's Hero. Obviously I'd choose my daughter over anyone else, but I can't stand to go against Hero in that Arena today.

''Isha, are you okay?'' Alaira asks, letting go and placing her arm on my shoulders. ''You seem worried, child.''

That's because I am worried. I've never been attached to anyone before, but Hero's so different. He's someone that I can truly say that I love. Besides Colette, I can't say I have a loving relationship with anyone else—not even my parents.

''Yes, I'm fine,'' I say, shrugging her arm off of my shoulder. There's an awkward silence between us two, and it's obvious to say why. She tries her best to break the awkwardness between us right now, but I just continue to look around the room. It's very luxurious; almost as luxurious as our hotel rooms were—if you can even call them hotel rooms.

There are gold plated towels on hooks everywhere, and even a couple of short tables that hold snacks. To my right is a door that leads to who knows where, and to my left is a living room area with a television and everything you'd expect to see in one.

''Isha, please...'' Alaira notices that I'm not paying attention, so she grabs my hand and holds it out. ''We all know how you're feeling. We understand that you're upset with your parents. And we understand that you hate-''

''I don't hate anyone, Alaira, okay?'' my voice trembles, my lips quivering, but it's not because I'm about to cry. I'm done crying. Crying has been the only thing I've done on this whole trip back to life, besides hanging around Hero. ''I blame myself for what happened. If I was more responsible that night, I wouldn't be in this situation. It's just a chain reaction, and it's brought me to the worst part of my life. I don't want to be in these games, and I sure as hell don't want to be away from my daughter!''

She sighs, taking out a towel and placing it in my hand. Without me doing it, she grabs my hand and begins to wipe the sweat off of my face. I can already feel my temperature rising and my face becoming red, and it's just pissing me off. I thought I'd be coming in here ready to kill everyone, but _he's_ stopping me from it. _He's_ the only person I can't and won't kill. I'm being too hesitant when it comes to Hero, and if I continue at the rate I'm going I might not be able to get Colette back.

''Trust me, sweetie,'' Alaira smiles. ''I have a daughter, too, and I know how you feel. I was told that I might have never seen her because there was a medical condition that she had, which was inherited from by her father. I only had three days with her before she had surgery. Doctors told me that she would die at three, but she's fourteen now. You can come back to your daughter, sweetie. And don't blame yourself for what happened. We all make mistakes. Just don't give up, please.''

Her words hit me straight in the heart, causing me to calm down a little bit. _Just don't give up_. ''I won't,'' I promise, looking into those lime green orbs of Alaira's. ''Wait,'' a thought crosses my mind. ''Why do all of the tributes have their Arena Outfit on already? I thought you guys were supposed to hand it to us?''

''That's something I wanted to talk to you about,'' she sighs, taking something out of her pocket. ''We have about five minutes left, so I'll hurry this up. Your mentors both knew what your Arena was. The President felt grateful this year so he told them what it was so that they could warn you, but I'm guessing yours didn't say anything...''

Slowly shaking my head, I reply. ''No. They didn't.''

''Well,'' she says, making me turn around and pinning something through my scarf. ''There's a little pebble that us stylists are supposed to place on your outfit. It's said that it gives you an advantage in the Arena if you use it right.''

''I'm guessing the Arena has something to do with snow?'' I say, trying to figure out the most logical type of Arena for an outfit like this. Alaira doesn't know, so there's no point in asking. She warns me that it's time to go.

''Well, all I know is that the Arena will have multiple ranges of temperature. Sometimes it'll be hot but windy, cold but dry. You know, the usual.'' Now we just stand stiffly and stare at each other. ''Well, looks like it's time for you to be heading off.''

She walks with me towards a tube that leads so far up that it looks like it's never-ending. ''Isha, do good for me.'' Alaira begs, reaching into her pocket. Responding, I tell her that I'll do everything in my power to come back. Instead of waiting for her to hug me, I walk over to her this time and wrap my arms around her neck. She looks up at me, sniffing into my outfit. We stand there for more than five minutes, even though I was supposed to be in the tube already.

''Oh, and before you go,'' she says, placing me in the tube and saying her final goodbyes. ''Your mentor told me that he found this note somewhere in the cushions. Apparently your last mentor never delivered it to the person it was supposed to given to.''

She places the note in my hand as I get in the tube. ''What?'' Before she can even answer, my tube starts to move up. She begins to shout for my name and tries to tell me what I want to hear, but the sound of this tube moving up blocks her voice. This was never delivered to my daughter?!

My tube enters the Arena in thirty seconds exactly, causing me to start panicking. I quickly take in my surroundings, seeing the boy from Seven to my left and the girl from Ten to my right. She just begins to shake vigorously, letting her tears go. She just doesn't care if anyone sees her cry. She's letting everything out right now, crying and yelling for someone to stop this.

The boy from Seven is just breathing roughly. He catches me staring, so he turns towards me and gives me a look. That look threatens me a bit, but I try my best to ignore it and smile kindly at him. On the inside, I'm actually raging. My last mentor never gave this note to Colette, when I asked kindly! And worst of all, the boy from Twelve is right next to the girl from Ten. The boy from Three is two platforms left of Seven, and the girl from Eight is in between them.

Straight ahead is the golden cornucopia that holds everything in it. It's quite hard to see it with all of the large icy rocks. My breathing begins to intense as I see my breath through the cold air. It's freezing like crazy here, and I can't help but start rubbing my arms. Although this outfit was meant to withstand the cold, I'm still freezing through it. And by the looks all around, everyone else is, too.

Staring straight ahead, I see something that looks like a sun. Wait, but there are two suns? There's literally one right above us, but it's deep into the sky. But as I look closer, I realize that there seems to be something that looks like a desert... And looking to my left, I see another sun but there are lush green leaves. It's quite far, and I can barely make it out, but I believe it to be so. To my right is a... sphinx! A large sphinx stands up into the air, and a sun hovers above that, too. I don't even wanna imagine what's behind me.

 _''Ladies and gentlemen, let the One Hundred Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games **begin!** '' _

The countdown officially starts, making everyone panic. The girl from Ten continues crying and screaming into the air. Turning back around to see the boy from Seven, he notices the same thing that I do. Instead of just an actual cornucopia, there are seven different huts. Outside of each hut is a group of bags, and even some weapons are lied out early. On them, instead of being inside, are some weapons that are put on hooks.

I continue trying to look for a bow, but there's not one that I can find. There are multiple axes lied out, and from the expression on the boy from Seven's face I'm guessing that he's excited about that. ''Hey, Candice! I know you're my Queen and all, but fuck you!''

The voice of the annoying boy from Three draws everyone's attention as he chucks a shoe towards the girl from Eight. She simply leans back as it passes her and starts descending towards the boy from Seven's platform. The look on his face isn't explainable. You could see the terror and fear that he's feeling.

Before the shoe can hit the ground, he catches it right on time. He's leaning on his platform, his face right next to the ground as he holds Carter's shoe up by his thumb and index finger. He struggles to pick himself up, but he just flings the shoe into the air and catches it as he sits down on his platform, huffing and puffing in complete fear and terror. Nobody dares say anything as he just sits there, sweat dripping from his face and breathing difficultly.

''ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!'' he shouts, being the first time that anyone here has ever seen him angry. ''WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!''

''No balls!'' Carter shouts, daring him to try it. ''You won't do anything. Plus, you won't even find me because I'll be too busy making out with my Queen before I kill her.''

This gets a couple of people to chuckle, but then they start to burst out laughing. ''Keep talking, Carter. Watch when someone like me gets their hands on you. I might even let Seven over here do the honors for me.''

''Whatever,'' Carter ignores her. ''God won't let anything bad happen to me, bitch. Do what you please, but I know I'm safe.''

''Carter, shut up!'' Candice shouts, her eyes looking more fierce than they were before. She's pissed, and she's even biting her own lip just to get a bit of blood out. ''I'm a Satan's disciple. That means there is no God in my eyes. After I have you busted up and dead, guess what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna drink some of your blood!''

Everything went quiet as soon as she said that, and now there's an eerie noise moving across the wind. I don't know much about her, but I can say that even I'm frightened of her right now. ''I'm seriously gonna drink some of your blood. You don't have anything to say now, do you, little bitch?''

 _30 seconds._

I just realize that the note is still in my hands, and this makes me even more angry. Colette never got this note, and now I'm even more upset. But that feeling of being upset is overshadowed by the fact that I'm pissed! I just can't believe that it wasn't delivered and now Colette doesn't even know how I felt about her! Why did this happen to me?!

 _15 seconds._

 _14 seconds._

 _13 seconds._

Taking a glance at the note, I begin to start reading. Reviewing this note just makes me want to cry because it's been so long since I've last taken a look at it. It's sad, upsetting, and disrespectful! I just can't believe it, and to make it all worse that idiotic boy from Twelve keeps staring at me! Reading this note is the only thing that's keeping me somewhat calm right now.

 _When times seem too hard to bear and I feel like giving up I vision your beautiful face, the twinkle of your eyes and the things of such. The bond we created from my womb to the day you were born is a mother and daughter bond that can never be torn. With the strength and guidance of God and the blessings he pours down from above, I want to be the best mom I can be to you and embrace you with all my love. You are as precious as a flower and as gorgeous as a rose. You have been specially made to the very tip of your nose, you are as sweet as honey; such an innocent young child. You are brighter than any star in the sky every time you smile, and I want you to be proud of who you are and strive to be the best. Put forth efforts to achieve your goals and let God do the rest. I will always be your mother first, but I'm also your friend. You are the most precious gift, that I've ever been given._

 _With All My Love,_

 _Mommy._

 _3 seconds..._

 _2 seconds..._

 _1 second..._

The gong rings, causing everyone to jump off their platform and head straight for the huts of the cornucopia. Forcefully shoving the note into my pocket, I'm interrupted by the sound of six anguish-filled screams passing through the air. Their blood splattered on the floor and their faces busted open. One of their heads tilting to the side of their neck and hanging, and one of them with a sharp arrow in their temple.

No remorse.

No regrets.

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy, guys. So I lied, I guess. This sucks. I wanted to get the bloodbath up for you guys today and Launch days ago, but I had no motivation to write and I just didn't feel like it. Honestly, it was stressful and I just didn't want to. I dunno, I just haven't been feeling the same. Idk why, but I feel so bored and not as boisterous as I usually am. Ha ha, I don't fucking know, but I feel so empty and emotionless at times. I think it's just my man period or hormones, but I dunno. Hopefully it goes away soon, though. ^^**

 **Anyways, I don't think I'll be updating for a while. Most of that has to do with me being in New York for Winter Break right now, but also with stressing. Promising to get these chapters out, but then never wanting to write them and updating days or even a week later and forcing it out is just starting to get repetitive and annoying, and I feel so done with it. I'm not quitting the story, but a short hiatus is in need, I believe. Yeah, I feel bad for this because we're right in front of the bloodbath and I would rather give you guys the bloodbath and then go on hiatus, but I can't write another chapter right now.**

 **If I do quit this story, though, I'll just summarize the ending for you all. Or I'll have Caleb finish it up for me, since he's a hard ass updater, who I swear lives on the computer. Only downside about that would be him being biased, I guess and choosing his own order which could lead to both Carter and Parvati in the final two. So Idk. ._. Or Brooke can do it. Idc xD And about the list. I know I've said this multiple times before, but I've lied every time because I could never make up my mind. I'm so indecisive, but I've finally come up with the death order.**

 **Okay, I know damn well that you guys are gonna hate me. This death order is kinda disappointing, and some tributes you'd expect to be dead die later and the ones you'd expect to make it far died sooner. I just want to apologize in advance to each and everyone of you for killing your tributes off in terrible ways, or way too early. I wanted this order to be unpredictable, and I think I did a fine job with that. Ha ha, oh, you guys are gonna fucking hate me. Victor is someone you all like, though. He or She is someone I felt I could work with in the sequel, so that's what ended my decision.**

 **Anyway, enough of all this depressing shit. I can't stand going back to read all this boring and un-fun shit that I just wrote. I don't even think un-fun is a weird, but who cares? So onto my random sayings, like I do every day. I'm quite scared being in New York right now, but that's where family's gonna be, so yeah. Um, so I was scared because Isis was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard the news that I had to go there. But it's okay, because I'm coming for Isis, you know? I-I-I'll fly to Iraq or wherever with that one lady who dissed Nicki Minaj and Isis on the news and fight for our countries! Then we'll have World peace or something.**

 **''Nicki Minaj, you're a wack-ass bitch. You're a fraud. Bitch, Lil' Kim- look, we from Brookyln. I'm from Brooklyn!''**

 **''Why don't you like Nicki Minaj?''**

 **''I fuck wit- because she's a fake bitch! She's fake! They all frauds! Hilary Clinton, woman is about to run the World.''**

 **''Isis, if you come to New York City and you try to blow anything up, I'm coming for you! We from New York, I'm from Brookyln. Fuck Isis! They killed my Boi Biggie!''**

 **And remember: Jay Z is not illiminati. Jay Z gets money.**

* * *

 **Lmfao anyone seen that? No? Okay... Yeah, I just wanted to lighten the mood ;-; Anyway, onto the questions... Wait, forget that. I don't have questions for this chapter, so say whatever the hell you want. Idk, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. And Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you're having or had a wonderful day with your families, and I hope it was a great day.**

 **Alright. See you guys in a little bit. Bye.**


	19. They Died Right In Front Of Me

**hgsecondchance. blogspot. com**

* * *

 **Bloodbath:**

* * *

 **Don't skip to the bottom! Honestly...**

* * *

 _In the regular World, this would seem like crime,_

 _But in the Hunger Games, everything's just fine,_

 _For every kill I get, would you give me a dime?_

 _Sucks that a couple of us get an early bedtime_

 _This was hard af, and took me some time_

 _Overall, this was a pretty shit rhyme_

* * *

 **Julio Calline, 18;**

 **District Ten Male**

None of us are ready for this.

The bright light of the Arena's sun almost blinds me. It's just the terrible angle that I'm faced in, and my platform's location isn't helping either. So far, I'm the only person here with such an unfair disadvantage.

Quickly turning around, something no other tribute has done yet, I realize that there's a giant mountain extremely far back. And there's a giant hole in the mountain, too. Like, a cavern; a cave. I really can't see much, but I can tell you that it's rusted up and crumbling. That doesn't look like somewhere I wanna go... There's gotta be other places but I can't see anything because of this damned light!

 _15 seconds..._

 _14 seconds..._

 _13 seconds..._

Shoot, it's almost time! B-But can I really do this? I mean, look at everyone all around me! The boy from Five is to my left, and he seems somewhat prepared. Then there's the girl from Eleven to the right of me. She looks like she's ready to just jump in there and attack.

 _Believe in yourself, dammit!_ That thought pops into my mind. I need to start listening to my conscience more. I've been doubting myself for the past week and it hasn't done me any good. I wanted to get a _7_ , and I got it, but I doubted myself way too much. If I believe, I might be able to make it out of here alive... I can, I can, I can.

And I will.

 _12 seconds..._

 _11 seconds..._

 _10 seconds..._

Here it comes. All or nothing now. But what am I aiming for?!

 _9 seconds..._

 _8 seconds..._

 _7 seconds..._

That's when I spot it; a belt of throwing knives and two backpacks just lying there on the floor. From the looks of it, the boy from Five is staring at the same thing as me. But no! I want that backpack, and I'm doing anything and everything to get that backpack! He catches me staring at him, causing him to quickly jolt his head back to the sight of the cornucopia.

 _6 seconds..._

 _5 seconds..._

 _4 seconds..._

Dammit! Time seems to be going by so slow. This is so anticipating! Just a couple of seconds ago, it seemed like the start of these Games was going by so quickly, but now that I'm a little bit prepared it's going by so slow. Well, to me, anyway. All around, it looks like the start of these Games are arriving sooner for everyone.

But not for me... How long does it take for three seconds to pass?!

 _3 seconds..._

 _2 seconds..._

I'm not looking forward to this at all, but I have to survive. I have to, I have to, I have to. Come on... I know I can do this. I'm making it out of here with all of my body parts intact. I want to! And I will not stop fighting until I get out of this bloodbath alive. Backpack, knives, allies and out. _Just keep repeating it to yourself,_ another thought pops up.

Backpack, knives, allies and out... Backpack, knives, allies and out... Backpack, knives, allies and out... Backpack, knives, allies and out... Backpack, knives, allies and out... Backpack, knives, allies and out...

 _1 second..._

The gong rings, causing my ears to erupt with pain. It echoes loudly from ear-to-ear, and I can't help but just stand there on my platform as everyone else jumps off. I just wasn't expecting for the blast to be that loud. What are the cannons gonna be like if a gong was this loud?!

After realizing that I was the only person left standing on their platform, my legs pushed their selves forward, involuntarily. I thought that I was completely ready for this, for just a couple of seconds, but the reality is that I'm not. My legs feel so unused and unprepared to be running the distance. But the only thing that's allowing me to continue running is the adrenaline.

It pumps throughout my body, causing me to run straight past other tributes. To my left, the girl from Twelve steps on a crack that causes her to drop straight into water. That's when my eyes widen. The floor to this cornucopia is made completely out of ice, and a wrong step could lead to anyone's death, if they drown!

Averting my attention back to the cornucopia, I realize that the boy from Five quickly stops and stares at the girl from Twelve. He tries running behind me to go help her but I stick my leg out and trip him, causing him to land roughly on the floor and break the floor of the cornucopia, too.

Suddenly, I bump heads with the girl from Four, a spear clutched in her hand. She jumps back, falling on her back and slamming her head against the ice. I do my best to get up but the look from her, as she gets up, scares the crap out of me. She uses the spear to pick herself up, and as she finally does she stares straight down at me.

Uncontrollably, I start kicking at the ground, easily breaking the ice. I continue to back up as she keeps trying to fish me with her spear, finally hitting a hut. My hand reaches for the sides of hut until I finally feel something sharp and pointy. Accidentally poking myself with it, I realize that it's a knife from the feeling of the object.

I continue moving my hand backwards, realizing that it's not just one knife, but a belt of knives. Quickly ripping it from the hut, I turn back to see Seraphina swinging her spear at my head. I duck just in time for it to scratch a bit of my cheek but not my entire face, which would leave a huge scar. The spear hits the hut again, finally getting caught in it, and she's just left standing there, trying to pull it out.

I use this opportunity to quickly get up and start running again, but before I leave she gives me a dirty glare. Her hand forcefully flies into my stomach, knocking most of the wind out of me. Falling to my knees, I do my best to catch my breathe but I just can't. She hovers over me, forgetting the spear that was once in her hand. I watch as her fist comes flying down and hits me in the cheek, but as she continues punching me in the face I'm able to bring up my knife and stab it straight into her hand, barely missing her wrist, hitting right above it.

A horrid sound comes from her mouth, making her jolt back and fall to the ground. She grabs her right hand with her left hand, which makes me want to end her right now. How bad would it be to kill a Career off early? But sticking back to kill someone was exactly how I died last time. _Don't do it! Just get your equipment and run!_

As I turn around, I see tributes already inside the cornucopia. Like, the main center of all these huts. Asyrin is there with A mace, checking bags and other objects to see if there's anything useful inside. His District Partner stops right in front of him with a bow, holding it tightly and picking up a quiver full of arrows that she found on the floor.

Finally standing up, I run right past the two Careers. Asyrin catches me from the corner of his eye but doesn't bother to run after me. All of these things that I'm seeing have me scared for my life. More and more tributes are falling into the water, and this is all just too much! Breaking me from my thought, a loud noise catches my attention; the sound of Lark's voice...

Trying to ignore it just for a second, I pick up three small bags. One for each of us—me, Challis, and Lark. Sadly, my focus is swept away when the sound of Lark's voice finally gets to me way too much. I'm kinda scared for him now, but I can barely see anything because of the angle I'm in. Anyone could sneak up behind me and kill me right now. That's how vulnerable I am, at the moment.

I'm basically just running forward now, not knowing where the hell I'm going. To the left, I see all of the careers huddled together, picking out each of their targets. Seraphina slowly sprints over there, still holding onto her hand and trying to stop the bleeding. As I continue running, something makes my body stop. Something horrifying through the corner of my eye.

Slowly turning my head to the right, the actions that I'm seeing make me shiver. Challis... He has an axe in his hand, and he's holding it up as he pushes Lark's helpless body into the water with his right hand. The crack that he made in the ice and snow... It's way too small! There's no way that Lark would be able to get out of there without help.

''Juli—'' his voice is cut off by the force of Challis, pushing him deeper into the hole that he's just created. ''Julio, hel-'' Once again, his voice is cut off by Challis' menacing actions. I know I'm gonna regret this, but I have to save Lark. I started this alliance off with him because I _wanted_ him to be my partner, and I'm not letting anyone take away what I _want_.

Sprinting towards Challis and Lark before it's too late, I quickly swing my foot straight into the spine of Challis, causing him to let go of Lark and fall back in pain. Repeatedly kicking him, he cries out in pain and agony. I stop for a quick second to help Lark up, and I know that what we do he gets up is for the best. Lark continues throwing up water as he helps me beat Challis down, repeatedly kicking him in the stomach and the face.

Lark picks up Challis' axe as he tries to swing it down, but the thing about Challis is that he's used to fighting. He quickly jumps up, through all the pain—which is really surprising—tackling Lark to the floor and wrestling him. I watch as Challis presses his hand against Lark's chin, slamming his head into the icy snow. The sound of ice breaking is bone crushing... It's just... wrong.

I have to do what's best for this alliance, and that's to take out Challis right now. Forcefully swinging my leg up, it hits Challis straight in the neck. He lets out a dying groan, but that doesn't stop me from feeling pity for him. Finally going for a death blow, I kick my foot and hit him in the temple.

The fact that he falls to the floor with blood pouring out of the open cut in his head is scary enough, but thinking about what I have to do to end it is even scarier. I've never killed before and I thought I would be able to easily kill anyone if I needed to, but I was wrong. Contradicting myself, I realize that I want sponsors... And killing is an easy way to get sponsors. And I have the opportunity to kill right here, right now...

Making my decision, I quickly pick up a knife from my belt, the lighting of the sun shining straight on the silver edge of the dangerous weapon that will easily take a life. The life of someone that I want to take... The risk... The risk of killing him is definitely worth it; the consequences of being an adrenaline junkie is worth it. I have two options here: kill him now, or leave him alone and run away, potentially putting me at risk of being hunted after if he somehow lives. Yeah, I think I'd rather go with the first option.

With one last glance back at me, Challis stares up as the crimson blood shines in the light, seeping out of his temple like a blood river. ''Do it already...'' He's basically fainting now. ''DO IT!''

''Lark, put him in the water!'' I command, pointing straight to the open hole in the ground, as the screams and cries of other tributes fill the open air. You can even hear the fists flying into peoples' faces, and it's not a beautiful sound. ''NOW!''

Lark quickly pushes Challis into the water as he continues to struggle, leaving me with a clear space to toss a knife into the back of his head. Quickly jolting my arm from my belt buckle to the ground, one of my knives go flying into the back of his head, causing him to yell. His yells are meaningless, though, because of his head being under water.

I quickly run over to him, sitting on my knees and ripping the knife out of his head. There's no reason to continue fighting with him because he's dead no matter what. He's not getting his body out of that pool, and he's definitely not surviving that head-shot.

''Come on, Lark. We're leaving,'' I order, quickly picking up the three bags and running away. Lark quickly follows with another bag in his hand as we try to take careful steps, still cringing because of the terrible screams we continue to hear. The best to place, from my observations, is to the west. There is a ton green and lush leaves, or something like that over there, which must lead to something good—or at least I'm hoping so.

It's probably a forest, from the view of it, but there's no way in hell that we're making it there any time soon. I turn around after hearing a loud thud and see Lark lying on the floor, a large cut on his hand as he rips out small pebbles. ''Come on, Lark!'' I shout, wanting to get away from the Bloodbath as soon as possible. ''WE NEED TO GO!''

Picking himself up, we start running forward, trying our best to reach as far away as we can. Although I know that there's no way we could possibly get there today, I wanna at least try to have some faith in myself. And Lark, of course...

But soon... Lark's gonna have to go.

* * *

 **Asyrin Katchet, 18;**

 **District Two Male**

''What the hell are you doing?!'' I shout at Seraphina, slowly approaching her with a mace in my hand. ''Why are you just running around, holding your hand?! DO SOMETHING!''

''I'm trying!'' she shouts back, staring at me straight in the eye. I see something in this girl. She's fierce and has a lot of skill, but she just can't carry out. And her not carrying anything out pisses me off. ''The boy from Ten cut close to my wrist and now I'm scared for my life! Don't you understand?!''

Quickly slapping her and knocking some sense into that sixteen-year-old brain of hers, I tell her to suck it up and go kill tributes. But like a disciple, she needs to learn from her master. I hold her arm and clutch my mace tighter than I was doing so before, searching for tributes to kill.

The first tribute that I lay my eyes on is the person I'm going for, and believe it or not, it's that awkward boy from Eleven. He catches me staring as I quickly pursue him, still holding Seraphina's hand. But before I can even reach him, three voices stop me in my tracks.

''CARTER!'' Cia's annoying voice rings in my ears, drawing my attention over to the both of them. Oh, this is much better than Eleven. Carter continues running, an axe and three small bags in his hand and mouth, his free hand—the left one—being held up in the air with his middle finger sticking up.

Of course. That's his signature gesture, of course. But imagine wiping that stupid grin off of his face when my mace hits his head! Aiming to jump for Carter, I can feel Seraphina's grip slipping away from mine, letting me go all-out.

But before reaching Carter, the sound of an arrow spiraling through the air makes me stop. You could just hear the swooshing; the amazing sound as it reaches it's target. A loud, horrid scream escaping the mouth of Cia. The sound slowly faints away, turning into a disgusting sob.

As if the blood trickling from his neck wasn't enough pain to go through, Isha continues shooting at him with her bow. Pulling back the silver arrow, aiming straight for the chest, she let's it go. Now she aims for the arms, then the legs, then the knees; the elbows, the ears—basically leaving Cia with arrows sticking out of every hole in his body.

The blood slowly trickles from every part of his body, making him look like a bloody mess. The look of shock on his face as he realizes that he isn't dead, making his eyes widen and try their best to shoot out of his sockets, is very satisfying. The way Isha's acting—a way that I've never seen before. From her, at least—is amusing. Watching as she steps over Cia and rips each and every one of those arrows out of his body, making him gag on his own blood... It's very, very satisfying.

The arrow in his neck is removed and then pushed back in. The look on Cia's face is just amazing. His mouth gaped, the small cry of help escaping his mouth, I just can't deal with all of it. It's making me want to get _my_ kill even more.

With great force, Isha kicks the shining silver arrow deeper into Cia's neck, somehow getting it to come out through the other side. She holds the tip of the arrow, pulling it completely out of his neck and shoving it in his forehead, over and over again. There's just no remorse in her actions. What she's doing... It's something that _I_ would do—and I'm a sadistic bitch.

Turning to the left, I see Hero just standing there, with a couple of throwing knives and bags in hand but he isn't moving. He's just there—his mouth gaped open, his lips quivering a bit, and his hands trembling. He completely drops all of his equipment, dropping to his knees and staring at the pool of blood on the floor that's seeping out of Cia's body.

''You.. d-did this to y-yourself..!'' Isha screams, continuing to shove the arrow into his neck and back, her fist flying into his face at the same time. Heh... It's true, isn't it? Everybody has a killer inside of them, and Isha right here is a perfect example of that statement. ''Y-You talked about her... You m-made fun of C-Colette! You t-talked about my l-life like you knew w-what happened... Don't d-do that!''

And with a final blow, Cia is just there, completely limp on the floor. His body just stays still, slouching over to the left as Isha shoves an arrow into his temple, slowly slumping forward and lying on top of him as she passes out. Cia's blood is on her hands, drawing the attention of almost every other tribute in the cornucopia right now.

The girl from Seven just stands there, her eyes widening in shock and her pupils dilating. Her hands are uncontrollable as she trembles, her sight still locked on Isha and Cia. Hero's slumped over as well, lying on the cold floor. The surface that he lies on begins to crack, as the icy snow just can't support much more of his weight.

I'm about to run over towards the girl from Seven until I hear footsteps coming from the back. Quickly switching my view, I see Quartz running straight at Isha with nothing but his fists. Oh, this is interesting. But then I realize that he's trying to kill her. '' _No_!'' I can't let him kill Isha. She's my kill!

I run with my mace swinging to my side, controlling it perfectly as I raise it up and swing it down near Quartz's head. He sees this at the last second, jumping back right on time before my mace crashes into his face. He stands there, panting calmly and slowly, daring me to continue. ''Why don't you make this a fair fight?'' That question makes me ponder, and without responding I just drop my mace.

Quartz tries to send his fist flying at me but I easily dodge his punch, ducking and sending mine into his stomach. Seems as if he doesn't know what I'm gonna do next, so I just launch myself into him and aim a punch for his neck, making him flip backwards and landing face first on the icy floor.

Right next to him is a hut that holds multiple weapons. They're right there and easily reachable, so he could do anything right now. And as if on cue, he picks up a small machete and swings it at me, wildly. Left, right, left, right. It's the same movement each time, and he has no skill whatsoever.

Having enough of this boring fight, I drop to the floor and lift up Quartz's feet, making him fall onto the ground and land on his head. He cries out in pain, a couple of tears escaping his eyes. But he's _not_ giving up! He continues kicking at my face with his feet, landing multiple hits that get me to bite my lip.

Finally hitting my stomach, he sends me flying back and hitting the ground. The machete that he once had is still in his hands as he holds it up, aiming it straight for my chest. He swings it down, ready to strike but I quickly slide to the left, evading the attack.

''Stay still, Asyrin!'' he shouts, continuing to swing the machete in a sloppy fashion. Still struggling to get up, he realizes that I'm just not worth it. He slowly drags the machete on the floor, breaking the ice with it, as he tries to hover over Isha and stab her in the stomach.

'' _NO_!'' I shout.

How many times do I have to tell these idiots—these annoying idiots—that Isha is _MY_ kill?! Nobody lays a hand on her besides me. When the times right, I'm the one who's gonna end up taking her life. Not Seraphina, not Domino, and especially not some revived idiot from Eleven!

He swings his machete down as soon as I get up but he instantly stops for some reason. Still running, I clutch my fist tighter and tighter as I get closer to him. He stares down at Isha, his eyes widened and the machete dropped on the floor. He holds the top of his head with both hands, scratching his hair as he utters one word out: ''Mom.''

Without hesitation, I grab Quartz's shirt and face him towards me. Two punches is all it takes to knock the boy out cold. One punch to the neck and the other to the face, instantly making him stutter and fall backwards without the energy to get up. He lies there, blood drooling from his mouth and an emotionless expression on his face, eyes closed and everything.

His machete lies right next to Isha's head, making a devious smile cross my lips. As I pick it up, I feel against it for a couple of seconds, rubbing it on my hands and feeling how sharp the blade is—sharp enough to kill every single tribute here. All around me, everyone has stopped moving except for one person: Eudora Bayard.

I don't know what the hell she's doing, but she might as well enjoy that small amount of time she has before I come after her. First it was Carter—but he's gone—now it's Quartz, and Eudora's the next one on my list. She's been quiet—too quiet for my liking.

Watching closely, I observe how she's doing her best to find a bag. She's looking in the main compartments, but doesn't bother to check the outskirts. She finally turns around, noticing that everything's gone quiet, making eye-contact with me. Her eyes widen as I lift my machete up into the air and hammer it down onto Quartz's face, splitting it open into two parts.

Ripping it out, I continue to stab. Four times. Six times. Eight times. Finally, I hit him with the tenth blow, sending the machete deeper into his face, showing his crumbled bones. His face smudged in, his nose completely chopped off, his eyes hanging out of their sockets.

And for the final blow, I'm gonna decapitate him. Well, I was going to until the girl from Eleven ran right past me, looking for a bag to get. Finishing up the job, I stab the machete into his neck, making his head tilt to the side but still hang on his shoulders.

''Holy crap!'' yells Eleven, stopping in her tracks after I just brutally killed her District Partner. ''What the hell... Quartz?!''

After seeing me, she begins running in the same direction that Eudora's in. God, this is even better for me. Two more kills for the price of one. Chasing after he, I quickly catch up kick her in the back of the leg, making her fall to the ground and skid her face in the snow.

Staring up, I see Eudora still looking for a bag. I better make this quick if I still want to kill her—which I do. ''What's your name, sweetheart?'' I ask her kindly, before she dies. I mean, a person doesn't deserve cruel language when in the face of their killer, now do they?

''Screw you!'' she spits out, kicking me in the shin. The force of her kick makes me stumble for a bit, kneeling down and watching as she gets up and tries to run away. She doesn't make it far, though, because I quickly catch up to her in the matter of seconds.

Pulling her back by her hair, she lets out a loud scream. Ear blistering, even. Ugh, I can't stand tributes like this! ''Shut up!'' The commotion around us is too loud to for her to hear, so she just continues screaming. As I turn around, I notice Seraphina slowly picking up the spear that she lost. Once she catches my eyes, I motion for her to come kill this poor girl.

''What do you want?'' Seraphina asks, holding her hand still. Without any verbal communication, I look at her and then back at Eleven. ''You want me to kill her?''

''Yes, you idiot!'' I shout, growing angrier by the second. She looks at me with disappointed eyes that almost seem to be growing with anger. I know damn well she's not one to unleash her anger out on people for no reason, and she usually tries to hold it back, but playing with her emotions could be fun. ''Are you deaf?!''

''ASYRIN, SHUT UP!'' she screams, filling the air with her voice. Yes... This is exactly what I want. Just watch as I reel her in and then let her off. ''What's wrong with you?! Your psycho personality is starting to really piss me off, and I just wanna smack the shit out of you sometimes! Just stop!''

''I don't care what you think,'' I say, pulling Eleven's hair out of her scalp. ''Just kill her with that spear!'' Eleven's eyes widen in fear. She eyes the silver spear as Seraphina begins moving, slowly. She holds up the spear, clutched and ready to be stabbed in an angle that would hit Eleven's throat.

''You want me to kill Brysia?'' she asks, ready to stab. I don't say anything; instead, I give her a nod. She listens to my orders, jabbing the spear straight into Brysia's throat, piercing through her skin.

''Wait! Sto-''

I quickly rip the spear away, throwing it across the cornucopia field. ''See that?!'' I ask, the feeling of wanting more overtaking my body. ''Doesn't that feel good..?! Killing..! Hurting others and making them crawl on the floor like pitiful weaklings!''

As I say this, I notice Brysia trying to crawl away, holding onto her neck to stop the blood from escaping her throat. All you can hear is gagging from her as she somehow reaches a large icy rock. Pushing Seraphina out of the way, I march over to where my mace was and grab it as Hero tries to pick up Isha; and Domino and Enigma both meet up with each other.

Brysia holds onto the rock, trying her best to escape but she's soon pulled back by me. I slowly place my mace on the back of her head, aiming for the perfect position to strike at before she finally passes out and dies.

You can just see the terrified look on her face, as she continues to hold her throat. But she's a fighter. Yeah, she's definitely a fighter. I saw her running away from another tribute, slapping his head as he tried to stab her. And she's definitely not done fighting. She scratches at my hand and quickly turns around to bite it. Although she knows she's dying, she just won't give up.

Having enough of this, because I'm intolerant, I slam my mace into her face, drawing instant blood and making her fall to the floor. Tears flowing from her eyes, she knows that I'm gonna kill her. It's over for her, so she might as well just close her eyes and wait for the impact.

''Asyrin, what are you doing?'' Seraphina's voice echoes in my ear, making me stop my assault on Brysia for a quick second. I watch as she slowly starts to faint, giving me a dirty look. The gesture she gives before fully closing her eyes pisses me off; she stuck her middle finger up at me...

As soon as she does close her eyes, I slam my mace down onto her face, causing her to instantly open up her eyes. The tears instantly jump out of her eyes like a sprinkler, making my outfit wet. More and more, I feel like all these tributes have something about them that piss me off.

I remove the mace from her face and shove it back in. Then again; and again; and again. Finally removing it for good, I notice a large hole in her face. The look of it just disgusts me. Even though I'm the person who tore her face open, it still sends shivers down my spine.

But no.

I can't feel remorse for any of these tributes that die by my hands. Remorse is for the weak, and I'm not weak. If anything, I'm the strongest tribute here. Nobody stands a chance against me, and when I get out of this Arena it's gonna be paradise. I'll show District Two what happened years ago was just a fluke.

There's hell to bring, and Asyrin Katchet is gonna deliver it. _But the thought of killing... Is it right?_ That stupid conscience of mine continues to say the same thing every day. Of course it's right! I _have_ to kill in order to win. Not only win, but to get back what I truly deserved before I died. The way they all ganged up on me... This alliance of mine could do the same thing any day now, but I doubt they'll be able to, because I'm not gonna let 'em.

Oh, I'm definitely not. And if they do try? Well, let's just say that I'll kill each and every one of them all at different times. They'll all see. And the bloodshed. Oh... Oh, man, I'm gonna enjoy this so much. This is gonna be so much fun! I feel like a little girl gaining all the attention at her fifth birthday party! This is just great!

Staring up ahead, I lock eyes with the person I was looking forward to killing. There she stands, twenty feet away from me. She's been quiet for far too long, and something about her just bothers me. It's almost as if she was trying to be forgotten by the rest of these tributes. I swear, I almost forgot that she was even in these games. And that really, really makes me want to kill her.

Eudora Bayard...

* * *

 **Eudora Bayard, 17;**

 **District Seven Female**

It's not over.

The girl from Eleven lies there dead, only a few feet away from her District Partner—who also died by the hands of Asyrin. I should've helped the poor girl, but... But I just couldn't move. Unlike last time, I actually made it to the center of the cornucopia, but I'm forzen...

Exactly like I was before.

My body feels weird. Like, I'm just stuck in one place. And I know that the bloodbath isn't over, according to the Capitol. The bloodshed has just started, and because of this—since the Capitol is definitely enjoying it—the bloodbath is nowhere near finished. Three deaths isn't enough for their liking, and they're just craving for more.

''What the fuck...''

I should've taken care of her. She shouldn't of died! And the worst part? I still haven't found my equipment. But it doesn't look like I'm gonna anytime soon. I just wanted one backpack, but all of the backpacks that were lied out for us were all in the clear view, which meant that I'd be bumping into all the other tributes.

''Well, well...'' Asyrin chuckles, slowly walking towards me, blood dripping from not only his hands and shirt, but also his mace. ''Sorry you had to witness that. Would you like the join her in the afterlife? I promise I'll make it quick and definitely not torturous at all.''

The hint of sarcasm in his voice makes me jump a little. My eyes narrow down to the girl's brown hair covering her face, her limp body lying still in the freezing cold weather. Suddenly, the ground begins to crack again. It begins vibrating slowly, but it's enough to send me tumbling backwards and hitting a large rock.

As I stare back, I notice that I'm feet away from Asyrin. And to my right, there's not only one, but two bags that I was desperately looking for. One that looks quite heavy and another one that looks somewhat filled. I quickly get up, sprinting towards the two bags that might have something useful inside of them.

I have no time to be checking inside, but I have to in order to see if the items that they carry is useful. There are two water bottles—both full—in the heavy bag, and a dagger. Yes! Along with those two are a couple of apples and oranges, but nothing more.

The other bag consists of another dagger—which makes me very happy—and three bags of trail mix. Quickly picking up everything that I need, I begin to march away. But the thing is, I don't know where the hell I'm going.

As I stop, Asyrin begins to call out my name—but how the hell does he even know it..? I've never spoken to him, and I've done nothing to make him notice me besides make eye-contact today-and that was a mistake. A huge, huge mistake! As I continue walking away, trying to blend into the huts, I notice people fighting.

One thing I notice, though, is that Orion, the girl from Ten, and the two boys from Nine and Ten are gone. But their other ally is dead, in the small pond hole that the cracked floor made. That's really bothering me. I'm cringing over that. We were never told of the ground being able to break, and who knows? There might even be mutts under there. How do I know that the dead tributes aren't being eaten by alligators or something right now?

And to think of how I could've helped them if only I stepped in and decided to take control. I love helping others, but something's come over me. _Fear_. It's a scary word, and with me... I don't think I can control it. It's either gonna cause me to stand still and let death take away my soul, or it's gonna push adrenaline through me and help me get out of this situation.

Either way, it's all so frightening. And this is when I see everybody grabbing their items and running away. The group consisting of the boy from Five and the girl from Twelve are both roaming around the cornucopia randomly—probably looking for their other ally.

Shockingly, I spot their ally before them. What's more shocking than that is the fact that he's being pulled away by his own District Partner. She looks down at him, her hand covering his mouth as she drags him away.

Am I really the only person who sees this? I'm about to call out for his allies to go get him but a hand grabs my shoulder. ''Hello...'' Asyrin's frightening voice makes contact with my ear, making me shutter in fear.

There it goes again. I'm completely shocked right now, and there's no movement to my body. ''Thought you could evade me?'' he asks, taunting me. ''You didn't shine much in the Capitol, I believe. What's your reason for that? You seem like a boisterous girl, but I hadn't seen much of you. What's your game?''

''W-What g-game?''

''ANSWER ME!''

I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. My arm jolts up and elbows Asyrin straight in the stomach, making him groan. And once again, I do something I didn't expect for myself to do. The two backpacks that I had? I swung those at him. One hit him in the face as the other hit him in the stomach, making him fall back a bit.

He quickly catches his balance and leans back up, but he falls back down again after my foot makes contact with his crotch. I don't even know what I just did, but I better get the hell out of here before I'm spotted by the rest of his alliance. And speaking of alliance, I still need to warn the two that are searching for their partner.

But my voice could easily spotted by the other careers. I want to help them, but I have to do what's best for myself. I just... I'm so conflicted right now. ''You k-know... I-I'm c-coming for y-you, r-right..?'' Asyrin warns me, slowly falling back down to the floor as he tries to get up.

Throwing my bags over my back, I begin to run away in the location of both tributes from Eight. As I make my way closer towards them—which was towards the south—I fall off of the cornucopia floor. Rolling down the hill, I could feel snow and small pebbles slapping me across the face, giving me small cuts that sting like a bee!

Once I stop rolling, I slowly look up to see that the cornucopia was on a small hill. There were no plain surfaces that you could just walk off of. You either jump or roll to the section that you wanna go to. Either way, it's a painful land. You either get cut or your legs are pained because of the height.

I stare back at the two tributes, the boy from Eight bleeding out of his nose. His face is completely beat in and it looks all mixed together and crap. Even though you'd think he'd be dead with such a terrible blow, he's not. You can hear his pleading as he continues being dragged away, and the cries for help. It's just... terrible!

Something else, besides those two, draws my attention. To the right, I watch as Carter rolls off of the cornucopia with three bags—which he somehow was able to get—and an axe in his hands. I'm not surprised that he accidentally stabbed himself in the hand with the axe as he rolled down the hill.

''AGH!'' he yells, making me jump a bit. I just don't want the girl from Eight to see me, but I'm out in the open, and Carter yelling could make her turn her head and see me. ''DAMMIT!''

He quickly gets up, running and laughing with the axe still in his hand. He makes it quite far in a couple of seconds, but there's something mysterious ahead of him. Behind a large rock covered in snow, a shadow is hiding there. Apparently the figure could hear Carter's footsteps—or, you know, heard him laughing as he ran—because he stepped out and brought his arms up to Carter's head, instantly flipping the boy.

All three bags drop to the floor, and the axe spins in the air. Taking a closer look, the beautiful brown hair of the figure brushing against his face and into the air, I realize that the figure's Orion... He catches the axe in the air and brings it down without a pause—or hesitation.

''Orion?'' I say quietly, slowly walking over there. I'm not afraid to approach them, because I know Orion won't hurt me, but what is he doing? I thought he was this innocent boy who just had a bit of skill. Never on Earth did I suspect Orion to be a killer—okay, maybe once, but that's besides the point. ''Orion!''

I watch as the axe buries itself in Carter's stomach, cutting a deep gash in it as the boy cries out in pain. ''Dammit, I hate you!'' Carter's screams are louder than before, making me want to sprint over there. Although I don't like him, I can't just let him die a painful death! Orion, please don't do this...

''STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!'' Carter continues yelling, but Orion doesn't stop ripping the axe out of his flesh and hammering it back in. Finally, Carter tries grabbing the axe; it only ends up in him getting two fingers chopped off. I'm too far away to reach them in time, but I can see exactly what's happening. His two fingers fall to the ground, both actually moving on their own but not being able to do anything more.

The blood squirts out of his stomach and fingers, pushing a bit of itself onto Orion's body. Orion doesn't stop, and neither does Carter with his obnoxious yelling. But his yelling is for a reason. _He's dying!_

Letting another person die is wrong! I-I can't! I could've saved _four_ people back then, but they're all dead now because I didn't take actions. And Carter's soon gonna be in the same position! ''NO!''

You can tell that Carter's dying by the amount of blood that's being pushed out. The next time Orion pulls the axe out, part of Carter's intestine comes out along with it. This makes me stop and fall to my knees, instantly throwing up as Orion pushes the axe back and sends the intestine flying to who knows where.

''STOP!'' Carter's now crying, something he hasn't done ever since the reapings. But just like that, he stops. Instead of dying being someone he's not, like the boy he was when he was brought back to life, he goes out being the obnoxious idiot that everyone hates. Sticking both of his middle fingers up to Orion's face, he gets both of them chopped off as well.

The pool of blood that's on the ground is too much for me to handle. It's making me dizzy just staring at it, and Orion's face... I-It's terrifying... It's shocking. I-It's cruel... How could he..?! I mean, I know it obviously had to be done, but in such a horrid way..! W-Why? I knew entering these games was gonna be hell, hence why I promised myself that I wouldn't die as lame as I did before, but if this is how people are dying in these games then I don't want it!

I don't, I don't, I don't!

With one last gasp, Carter's about to let out his final words. But Orion isn't that cruel. He stands up and holds the axe to his leg, looking straight into Carter's eyes. Orion mutters something, and from the movement of his lips I can make out 'You did this to yourself.' He finally shuts his eyes, not wanting to see the look of Carter's torn up body.

With another mutter, he says something that makes Carter chuckle. ''My last words?!'' Carter shouts again, laughing as he does. But the laugh is purely fake. Tears are running down his cheeks like crazy, but he's trying to act tough. Getting up, I begin to run towards them. But there's no way in hell that I'm gonna reach them! It's just not possible!

My legs finally tire out, making me fall face first into the snow. And as I look up, I see tributes jumping off of the cornucopia's hill with bags in their hands. The two from Five and Twelve aren't down yet, and I'm kinda scared for them. _What if the Careers got the two?_

Then their whole alliance is done... B-But... These games are just wrong! ''MOM! DAD! HELP!'' Carter screams at the top of his lungs, almost making me want to cry. This is hell. This is absolute and utter hell. Watching this just makes me want to die! I-I can't stand these games! Why the hell should anyone have to go through this?! ''MOMMY! DADDY! PLEASE! THIS MONSTER'S TRYING TO KILL ME!''

Orion simply stands there, axe dropped and everything. A couple of tears actually form in Orion's eyes, too, and this pushes the boundaries of me trying to hold back my tears. I feel so much pity for these fallen tributes, and it's only going to get worse from here on out. And sooner or later, all but one of us is gonna be dead, again.

''HA! Psyche, bitch!'' Carter shouts, laughing in Orion's face. ''Oh my God, you should've seen your face! You actually felt bad! AHA, GOT EEM!'' My mouth gapes open. Did he..? Did he really just pull something like that?!

''And I won't have final words, okay,'' Carter mouths, sticking his tongue out. But soon, Orion picks up the axe once more and forcefully swings it down. ''SUCK MY TOOTSIE ROLL DIC-''

And just like that, an axe is buried in Carter's neck, instantly stopping him from completing the sentence. A loud squeak comes from my mouth, making Orion turn his head and see me staring. With the quickness of a cheetah, he quickly grabs Carter's equipment, including the axe, and runs away.

I want to chase after him, but he's way too far gone. Carter's dead, and I could've possibly done something to stop it. I-I might've been able to save him. Maybe-just maybe-I could've saved him. There was no guarantee, but I could've at least tried!

Jolting my head back to the left, I see Candice taunting her District Partner, stepping over him and kicking his face. The tears continue to spring from my eyes, making me feel more disgusted as the moments pass by. Her District Partner, Nathan—who doesn't seem to give up—tries his best to crawl away.

Candice quickly steps on his head, sending his bloodied face deep into the snow. Colder and colder—that's what I get every single time I see a tribute get hurt or killed. The temperature quickly decreases, and I don't know if it's just me or not, but it seems like it's starting to snow. And the snow is making me sleepy. I'm all tired and unable to keep up with my energy, that's slowly draining away.

It's like I'm running out of time in this Arena, and I just can't do anything about it. Doing my best to stay awake, I rapidly blink my eyes to make sure I stay awake but nothing works!

''W-Why a-are y-you d-d-doing... t-this t-t-to... me..?'' Nathan groans, weakly. Candice shows no emotion on her face, staring at him blankly. She tells him that _he_ told her to do it, and that killing her District Partner was the only way to please him, as of now. I don't even know how I'm able to hear this, but I somehow did—considering that they're a far range away from me.

''STOP!'' Nathan yells, crying intensely at this point. His yelling attracts his allies' attention, since they both start to scream for his name. You can hear it by how loud they are, which is scary because anyone could sneak behind them, when you think about it. But it's good to see that they're not dead.

''G-GUYS!'' Nathan screams, doing his best to get the attention of anyone who could help him. Sadly, nobody's gonna be able to reach poor Nathan. _I wish I could, though. I wish I could help him and save his life, but there's no way I'm gonna be able to._

''HEL—'' his cry for help is soon diminished when Candice grabs him by his hair and slams his face into a rock. His teeth begin to slowly fall from his mouth, and that's only from the first hit. His breathing seems to grow ragged, and the huffing and puffing of his chest shows you just how bad he wants to survive.

The first hit didn't seem like it hurt him or seem real at all, because he didn't say anything, but the next twelve times that his face smashes into the giant rock seem so real. So, so real. His screaming, his crying... The terror in his voice. It all abruptly stopped, and with once last glance, I could see Candice slowly walking away.

As I finally get up, I begin to sprint away, not knowing where the hell I'm going. I'm just running wherever the snow takes me, and sooner or later, I'll be away from all of this carnage. Away from the menacing deaths of six tributes. Away from hell.

Suddenly, I just fall to the floor, lying there as the snow begins to cover up my body. I'm not sure what this feeling is, but I'm disappointed in myself. Going back to save them and help them live was an obvious choice of action, but I just couldn't sacrifice myself for them. I had to do what would better _me_ , but I failed others.

And now? They're all dead.

* * *

 **I knew you'd try to skip. Get the fuck back up to the top and read it. I probably shouldn't of put the deaths right underneath here... But still, get the fuck back up to the top and read the damn chapter.**

* * *

 _ **24th - Challis Damask, District Six – Lol, 360 Noscope Quickscope Swag 420 Blaze It Head-Shot Get ReKt Noob 1v2 M8**_

 _ **23rd – Cia Arongan, District Twelve – Fucking destroyed by Isha**_

 _ **22nd – Quartz Fields, District Eleven – Lmfao, Asyrin fucked you up**_

 _ **21st – Brysia Sanders, District Eleven – Mace slammed into your face by Asyrin, stealing Seraphina's kill**_

 _ **20th – Carter Abrahms, District Three – Stabbed to death with your own axe by Orion**_

 _ **19th – Nathan Evans, District Eight – Satan told Candice to kill you**_

* * *

 **Queen, you just disappeared. Honestly, you made it so much easier for me to choose one of the tributes who weren't submitted as bloodbaths to die sooner. Someone had to place twenty-fourth, and Challis was the only person I thought would fit that spot. I mean, I probably sound like a cruel asshole right now, but like everyone else on this site, I'm a review whore. You reviewed, like, twice, and then just disappeared. Idk, but I'd just like to thank you for submitting anyway. And if it means anything, I didn't really have much planned for Challis. He was just outshone by Julio and Lark, and well, one of them killing him was fit, in my opinion. R.I.P.**

 **20, you submitted Cia as a bloodbath, so what can I say? You asked for him to have a brutal death, and I think I delivered. Idk, I kinda dragged it out a bit, when he should've obviously been dead after the first couple of shots. Lol, I thought he was the perfect person to be killed by Isha. I mean, Carter abandoned him, which is so like Carter, and he did make fun of her baby, so what could you have expected? Humping the floor and moaning the name of a pregnant woman's baby daddy as she lost her child isn't a smart idea, especially not if you're Cia. Hopefully you enjoyed his death! Think he'll have fun in hell? I'll probably write about his adventures in a fiery pit. Well, if he's sent there, that is. Idk what's happening to Cia, but I plan on exploring more of him in the future. Maybe a return?! Revival at it's finest! o;!**

 **Charlotte, you also submitted Quartz as a bloodbath. To be honest, I was kinda pissed that I had to kill Quartz. He was my only dark-skinned tribute out of twenty-three, and that was awkward xD I always knew that no matter what I did with him, he'd always be a bloodbath but I had some faith in him doing big things. I just couldn't find any way to develop him with his depressing weakness. Like, it just wasn't possible for me. I felt awkward trying to make him just forget about his background, but there's no way it was gonna happen. I doubt his death was sad, since he did try to kill someone that Asyrin wanted to kill. Tbh, his death was inspired by WorldStar. Yeah, I was watching a knockout compilation on YouTube, and I thought 'Holy shit, Asyrin could seriously knock the fuck outta Quartz!' I'm glad I watched that video.**

 **Brooke, ugh, I feel terrible doing this to you. I don't think Brysia was initially a bloodbath at first, but then we talked about it. I told you about Asyrin's future in this story and you were so hype that you didn't give a crap about Brysia, but I feel like I messed up killing her. As soon as I wrote her death scene, a ton of ideas started flowing through my brain. Like, there's so much I could've done with her, but then I decided against it because I wasn't gonna go back and delete all that bull. She was a great tribute, and I'm happy that you sacrificed her. Agh, thanks for that. It made it so much easier to decide. I hope I don't sound like an asshole. And this was the first time I killed two tributes from the same District in a bloodbath. Ugh, I feel like a G! ._. If it means anything, Brysia would've definitely have been developed to be one of the main tributes in this story. Like, she would've probably been the main tribute, if not, then definitely top 3. Probably Victor spot, but you still have Asyrin. And oh, the things I have planned for Asyrin..! Hehehehehehehehehe..!**

 **Bitch- I mean, Caleb... Yeah, Carter and I were conflicted. You submitted him as a bloodbath, but then I said he wouldn't die because of how much fun I had writing him. Then he was a bloodbath again, and then out. Yeah, I had trouble finding out where I wanted him to go. To be honest, Carter was probably one of my favorite tributes in this story-way more liked than Parvati, if I'm being honest-but he was hated by many readers. Hated is a strong word... Maybe disliked, but I say he was here for some comic relief. He was the only tribute I could really write—besides Hero, Asyrin, Cia, and a couple of others—who didn't make the story so serious. I liked having a bit of fun with it besides death and twenty-four teens out for each other's throats. Tbh, if he didn't die in the bloodbath, Carter would've been in my finale. Honestly. He probably wouldn't of won, but 3rd isn't a bad placing. It's better than second, I know that for sure. Well, feeling wise. I swear, finding his final words was challenging. I had so many from Vine going through my mind. I had him saying 'Deez Nuts, Suck My Ass, Can You Feel It Now, Mr. Krabs? You Look Like A Muh'Fuckin' Uhhhhhhhhhhhh!' And a whole bunch more, but I could only settle on one, sadly.**

 **Will... Yeah, you probably hate me for this this. Um, yeah... *scratches neck and coughs* No, I didn't kill him because you didn't review that much. At least you stopped to let me know how you felt and crap every here and there. Nathan was just that innocent tribute I couldn't find anything for. Like Anaya, he was too innocent for these games. But for Anaya, I found a couple of things that I had planned for her. Nathan was a perfect fit for Sashen and Levi as an ally, since they were all so nice. I didn't know how I felt about writing him, though. Like, you predicted him being a bloodbath, and once you said that I thought it was set that he was definitely a bloodbath. I had fun writing him, as he was this sweet guy. Fighting back to Candice... I just couldn't see it happening in real life. Someone as sweet as Nathan would've probably just gave up and let death slowly approach. He was a great tribute, and I'm glad you let me change his gender in order to write him. Thanks for submitting. I get if you don't wanna read anymore, it's totally fine. R.I.P.**

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy! So it's only been six days of my hiatus and I feel like it's been two weeks. I don't know xD I suck at going on hiatus. Ugh, six days? That's a terrible break. Anyway, last time I was being a little bitch because I'm lazy and felt like being a little prick. Ugh, I can't leave you guys hanging like that without a bloodbath. What type of person am I? Anyways, I didn't think this bloodbath was too surprising. Most of these tributes were predicted by you guys, and I knew damn well it was gonna be hella predictable. Bet you won't guess the rest of the order, though. ;)**

 **Anyway, I made a new blog. I felt like the old one was sloppy and it just annoyed me. The new site is at the top of the chapter. I'll make another blog for the Victors and crap, but I probably won't be using the Weebly one, so don't bother to check there for placings and shit if you haven't read a chapter or something. Idk, I haven't updated it in a year, but the new blog will be updated every time a tribute dies or a kill is made. Anyway, I think it's way better than the last one, especially since the pictures are actually centered this time around and crap.**

 **Oh, and the Capitol Predictions are on the blog. Yeah, if you have a question on why your tribute is predicted so high or so low, or wherever the hell they stand, just PM me or ask in the reviews if you're a guest. I tried to make it as realistic as I possibly could, if this was real life and I was a viewer of the games. I don't know, my opinions, suck it if you wanna hate. That would totally be my predicted order if I was a Capitolite xD Tbh, I'm lying right now. I just put down random numbers for 95% of these tributes, lmfao.**

 **So yeah, I just wanted to give you guys a chapter before New Years. I initially wanted to update today at 11:59, but in all honesty I'll probably be knocked out by 10. I blame my aunt. Anyways, happy 2016, and I hope you all have a great year for these next 365 days, unless it's a leap year and I'm not aware. Anyways, this marks the official beginning of Second Chance. I plan on shit going down for the rest of this story. Gruesome deaths, tributes that you wanted to live dying, a Victor you might or might not have expected, or liked. And last but not least... a two headed elephant that grants you three wishes. Anyway, onto the questions :)**

* * *

 **Anyone you're sad to see go?**

 **Anyone you're happy to see go?**

 **Anyone you shocked got a kill?**

 **Anyone you shocked didn't get a kill?**

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite?**

 **If you had 3 wishes, what would they be? Totally, mine would probably be World Peace, but with a bit of conflicts because the World would probably be boring af without a bit of conflict, money... That's an obvious one. I mean, who doesn't want money? Like, the fuck? You obviously want money, too. Don't judge me. And three more wishes. Then those three more would be soon morphed to a million more wishes with a number that appears in front of me that lets me know how many wishes I have left before they're all gone so I can wish for more! :)**

 **Freaking criticize me, okay? Criticize me! Gosh, I need criticism to help! I wanna make this story so much better for you guys, so please criticize me. Is my writing too casual?! Does it need to be more sophisticated? Do I need to use more 'big' words?! Less 'little' words? Tell me what's wrong with my writing and how you think I could improve on things to make this story more enjoyable for you guys! Thanks. :)**

* * *

 **Anyways, that's all for this chapter. See you guys next chapter, which will probably not have a death. Yeah, probably not. Maybe, though! Still contemplating on the two tributes I'm stuck against. Sadly, they'll both have gruesome deaths in the end. Alright, I'll come to the conclusion later. See you guys next time. Bye! :)**


	20. What A Lucky Start

**Day One:**

* * *

 **Domino Reath, 17;**

 **District Four Male**

Is there really nobody here left? This is honestly some bull. I didn't get a single kill in this damn bloodbath, and I swear I was going after everyone. Enigma was the only thing on my mind besides getting kills—and I think that's what really held me back. Just making sure that I had to take care of her... It made me hesitant on actually attacking.

''So is that it?'' Asyrin asks, wiping the... disturbing blood from his shirt. It's almost as if he's enjoying it. I mean, we all know that Asyrin enjoys the blood that he draws from people, but this is just weird. You just don't do something like that. And instead of mourning over his victims he's laughing at their corpses.

But then again, it's Asyrin, so what else could you expect? ''Yeah, that's it,'' I answer his question, wrinkling my nose in anger. ''What did you guys get? Unfortunately, I didn't get a kill, but I could any day now.''

''Keep talking like that,'' Asyrin replies, smiling as he continues to go through a couple of bags. ''I got both from Eleven. Ha ha, you should've seen the looks on their faces! They were priceless; the little girl from looked like she was about to cry!''

''Yeah, but you stole my kill,'' interrupts Seraphina, holding onto her right hand. ''You couldn't stop being greedy for one minute and actually let someone else get a kill for once?''

Asyrin gives her a deadly glare, which we all know means to stop talking. Asyrin isn't anything special, but he's definitely scary at times. But he's nothing compared to me, obviously. ''Do you want to get anything else off of your chest before I slap you?''

''Asyrin, you're really-''

Interrupting her, I quickly grab her by the shoulder and cover her mouth with a bag. ''What I think she was going to say was that she's happy that you're leading us.'' Asyrin gives me a thankful look, but something about the look is wrong. Leaning into Seraphina's ear, I whisper, ''Shut the hell up. I don't care what you have to share, just don't say it to Asyrin. Any wrong word could make him go ape shit and you know that, so shut up.''

''Alright!'' Asyrin shouts, shoving a couple of weapons into the bags. With the left over equipment that we have, he pushes them all into the bags that Enigma and I received. We're both thrown a couple of them, and so are Hero and Seraphina. ''Time to start moving now. Everyone's gone, so we might as well go.''

And with that, footsteps are heard moving across the cornucopia floor. Swiftly turning around, I stare at a little girl who starts sprinting away. Her brown hair sways in the wind, and as she runs it looks like she's about to trip and fall. And knowing Asyrin, he's already sprinting full speed at her.

Judging from her childlike face, I realize that it's the little girl from Six. Continuing to run, she suddenly disappears off of the cornucopia floor and is just... gone. Gone like the wind, actually—I'm not sure whether she actually disappeared or if she's just hiding.

Continuing to follow her, Asyrin disappears, too. ''Hold onto these two, please!'' Hero shouts, throwing two bags over to Enigma and Seraphina—who both stand there in confusion. Hero, who's holding Isha's unconscious body, begins to run towards Asyrin's location.

Now I'm running over towards Asyrin's location, and when we finally reach the edge where the two of them disappeared we fall straight off, our faces hitting the rough, icy snow and everything. I feel rocks cutting into my skin as I'm rolling down this small hill, which makes me drop my bags and forcefully pull up the hoodie on my vest.

It's been a good forty second role until Hero and I finally hit the floor, both of us landing straight on Asyrin. As we stare up, we see the girl from Six continuing to run and disappearing off into the snow—the snow that looks like it's forming a blizzard.

Enigma and Seraphina—who are both still up on the cornucopia—look down at us and tell us to watch out. _Watch out for what, exactly?_ The thought pops into my mind. And forcefully, a body comes crashing down onto me. I quickly realize it to be Isha's.

Pushing her unconscious off of me, I quickly slide off of Hero and Asyrin as I brush myself off. ''You two need to jump down!'' I shout, catching the attention of the two. Seraphina instantly jumps down; and Enigma? ...She's a little hesitant.

Everyone's up onto their feet and all begin to talk as we wait for her to jump off. ''Ugh! Why the hell is she even with us?'' Asyrin asks under his breath. ''Maybe I should just kill her now. She's obviously not gonna be of any use!''

''Because I said so,'' I snap at Asyrin, quickly turning around and facing him. ''You won't touch her, and you will not bring a weapon anywhere near her. You do, and I kill you. Got that?'' Staring straight into his eyes, he rolls his and sticks out his tongue. He's annoying at times, but I can tolerate it. Other times, he makes me want to punch him straight in the face.

''Yeah, yeah, I got it.'' he says in a sarcastic tone, crossing his arms together. ''I hope the gamemakers send mutts after us, and that she's the slowest one, hopefully.. Ha ha, imagine her screaming on the ground and crying for you to help her. 'Oh, Domino, help me! Please, save me from this evil!' Ha ha, that would be hilariou-''

''Asyrin, shut up!'' I stomp over towards him, but my path is blocked by Hero's body. He steps in front of me and pushes my arm away from punching Asyrin. It just pisses me off, though. How can someone be so malevolent?

Today's been terrible so far—since I didn't get a kill—but the nadir came when Asyrin brought up our alliance targeted by mutts and Enigma being the one to get caught. That's just low. Very, very low. ''Yeah, let Hero block you. We all know you wouldn't dare touch me.''

My nose flares as he says this. If it wasn't for the zephyrs that were blowing and cooling us, I think my body temperature would've soared to the point where I'd be dead in minutes. Luckily for me, it was here. ''Whatever. Wasn't there a tribute that you were going after?''

''Oh, yeah!'' Asyrin jumps up, quickly sprinting forward. Picking up Isha again, Hero takes off after him along with Seraphina. ''Are you coming or not?!'' Asyrin yells back at me, watching as I wait for Enigma to jump off.

''We'll catch up with you later,'' I say. Asyrin stares at me in disgust, criticizing me openly. A scoff escapes his breathe as he continues running with the rest of the pack in the direction of the girl from Six. ''Alright, Enigma, I'll catch you. Just jump before the blizzard begins to pick up, please. We can't be left behind, now, can we?''

A chuckle escapes her lips as she jumps down and lands into my arms. As I stare at her, something ticks.

 _Wasn't there another one of us?_

* * *

 **Parvati Hallows, 17;**

 **District One Female**

''Parvati, wait!''

Ignoring Paisly, I continue walking. I just don't have time to be waiting for people anymore. Honestly, if you can't keep up then what's the point of being in an alliance? Playing nice isn't something that I want to do anymore; and I'm not gonna do so. These games are rough, and only the strongest gets out.

And I want to be that one who gets out. These three girls here that are part of my 'alliance' are nothing more than mere toys for me to play with before letting them go. Sure, it sounds harsh, I know, but you can't tell me that you'd stick with three little girls forever. I just don't have time to be playing around.

''Paisly, leave her alone,'' Mickaela steps in, and the footsteps stop. ''If she doesn't want to wait for us, then what's the point in following her? You and I should probably just walk away, right?''

Turning around, I look straight at Mickaela. The weapon I have clutched in my hand could easily be used to kill her right here and now, but I need the little girl to survive for my own needs. It's wrong, I know—but I have to do what I need to in order to survive.

''Yeah, we can,'' Paisly says, not bothering to look at me. ''But what about-''

''What about what? If you wanna leave, you can go ahead and do so,'' I suggest. ''But then again, you're at a higher risk of death. Would you really leave my side and go out on your own, just to be caught by other tributes and mutts?''

''That's not the deal, Parvati!'' Paisly shouts at me. She slowly faces me and bites her bottom lip. ''Are you really that oblivious?!''

''Oblivious to what?!''

''We're missing an alliance member, retard!'' she yells, a look of anger on her face. ''Did you really not notice?!'' Come to think of it, I didn't. But that doesn't mean that we should stop and backtrack for _one_ member.

''That doesn't mean we have to stop for her, Paisly!'' I yell back at her, drawing the attention of Mickaela. She just stands there quietly, not really moving a muscle but just standing there. ''So what do you want us to do, go back and look for her?''

''Yes!'' she hissed, making me step back just a bit. ''Are you trying to just leave her back at wherever the hell she is?! What if she's at the cornucopia and the careers are still there?! She could be dead at any moment now!''

''Then that's too bad for her,'' I reply, putting on a serious face. ''People live and die in these games, Paisly. And one of these days, everyone in this alliance _might_ be dead. These games are rough, and the competition in these games are strong. Would it be that bad if Anaya was killed? Think about it, one less competitor brings you closer each and every day to _winning_. Isn't that what you want?''

''Not like this,'' she sighs, staring at me with disappointed eyes. ''Now, please, let's go back and look for her. She could be seriously hurt or dead for all we know! Don't you care what happens to her?''

''No!'' I chided against her request. ''Of course I care for her!'' Honestly, I don't care too much for the girl. Sure, she's an ally, but what are allies gonna do for you when the going gets rough? It's be or be killed. It would also be better for the sweet girl to have been killed early on—she doesn't deserve to be in something as cruel as the Hunger Games. ''But we'll find out what happened to her tonight. If her face appears in the sky, she's dead. If not, we'll go looking for her, okay?''

''Since when did you get to call all the shots?'' she snarls at me, a look of danger in her eyes. I've never seen Paisly like this before, and she looks like she's going to attack me. She has a spear in her hand and that could be used on me if I push her over the edge. ''You didn't establish this alliance, so I don't know why the hell you think you can order us around like you're top bitch or something!''

Stepping closer to her, I try to smack some sense into the obstinate girl. She's so stubborn! Why won't she just listen?! As soon as I approach her, a loud noise tracks me away from my initial actions—which would've been to shove her to the ground.

 _Chime!_

Everyone's attention turns to the area of the sound—right in front of Mickaela. She slowly turns her head towards us as we watch the sponsor gifts land right by her feet. ''What is it?'' I ask her, slowly approaching her and smiling kindly.

I know for a fact that she won't be sharing any of that with me but it's never too bad to try. ''Hold on, let me see,'' she says, digging into her sponsors. The first thing that she receives is a big backpack, which carries a whole ton of equipment in it. Paisly and I watch as she takes out a large map—it's almost larger than she is.

''Guys, it's a map of the entire Arena!'' she claims, making me rush over to her and peering at the map. There's a key that has her name engraved on the bottom of it, and every time she moves, it moves; it's basically a personal navigator. As I stare at the entire map, I realize just how big this Arena actually is. The cornucopia is the smallest part of the Arena, and there are five more areas beside it.

Where we're going, we have about fifteen miles left, according to the map, until we reach an area of lush green and water. The other parts of the Arena seem to have scorching hot temperature, and one area of nothing but pure darkness. And from the pictures drawn on them, I can almost picture it to be a cave.

The rest of the sponsors consist of a tracker-like thing. Mickaela holds it closer to her face in order to tell exactly what it is. ''It's a tracker, guys! A tribute tracker! From the looks of it, multiple tributes are marching the same way we are. The boy from Seven, Orion, is in the lead so far and only has about two more miles until he reaches the forest. His partner, Eudora, is towards the South where the caves are located, but she doesn't seem to be moving. The girl from Eight, Candice, is moving towards the East where pyramids and a large Sphinx are. The boy from Five and the girl from Twelve are both moving towards the north, where a desert is located, and everyone else is following the same path as us besides those tributes.''

''What about Anaya?'' Paisly asks, and as if just on cue Anaya's voice begins to ring in all of our ears. That's when we all turn to the left and see the little girl forcing herself through the rough snow, kicking at it and finally reaching us. She quickly stops, letting out deep breathes as she holds her knees. ''Anaya!'' Paisly runs over towards Anaya and hugs her.

Something about Paisly caring for Anaya is fake. It's more of personal use, and anyone can see it. ''Guys, we need to move, now! T-The careers are heading the same way as us, and I think they saw me. Please, we need to start moving!''

''What?!'' Paisly says, quickly picking up her bags and beginning to move out. Mickaela does the same thing, picking up the rest of her sponsor gifts: a large water bottle, a whip, a tranquilizer, and something that smells like BBQ. ''Come on, let's go!''

''A-Anaya, help!'' Mickaela groans, pretending to slump over. ''I-I can't carry this all by myself and you're the only person here that I trust. Please, help me carry all of this before they reach us. I'll stuff all of these sponsors into my backpack and then you can hold it for me, okay?''

''Uh... I don't... I don't know if I can hold all of tha-''

''Anaya, please!'' Mickaela begs, actually getting on her knees and pretending to sob. Anaya quickly runs over to Mickaela and picks up her heavy bag. ''Thank you so much for your help. Now, come on, let's get going like you said.''

I see what she's doing here. The girl's manipulative, and I like that about her. She could seriously earn some respect from me in this alliance. And maybe—just maybe—I could take her far. She seems like a great asset to this alliance, and using her to my advantage will help out a lot.

 _Chime!_

Another sponsor—but who's it for this time? As we all turn, a note lands in Anaya's hand. She peers down at the note, wide eyed and a small flinch coming from her body. A small squeal escapes her lips, drawing everyone's concern. ''What did it say?''

''Nothing!'' she smiles kindly, shoving the note into her jacket pocket. ''Come on, guys, it's getting colder by the second. I don't want anything bad to happen to use while we're vulnerable out here-''

''Where'd she go?!''

''I don't know, you were the one sprinting after her!''

''That little girl is mine! Should we split up and look for her?''

''No, it's too early to be splitting up. Let's stay in the pack and hunt tributes down like real careers, and this time actually share the kills instead of hogging them!''

''I'm tired of your attitude, you know? I should kill you now!''

''Do it then!''

All of those voices are familiar, and I can easily recognize them as Asyrin, Hero, and Seraphina's. But where are the rest? Anyways, it doesn't matter. As long as Seraphina's here, it's good for me, because she's my kill. As I turn around, everyone has a horrified look on their faces. ''Listen, don't start running; that'll draw attention towards you with your loud footsteps. Just hide behind the large boulder over there to the right and wait for them to pass by. It's better that we follow them rather than have them follow us.''

Finally, everyone just listens to me and slowly make their way towards the large boulder that's large enough to hide all of their bodies—and also large enough for me to slam all of their heads into, but that won't happen.

Some time passes and the careers are still just arguing, and I'm kinda afraid that they'll make their way towards this boulder, but I'm hoping that they won't. My cover can't be blown, and it _won't_ be blown.

I'll make sure of that.

* * *

 **Candice Davenport, 18;**

 **District Eight Female**

I'm away from the site of death now, sadly.

 _You did me proud, though,_ his voice pops into my mind. I'm glad I did, because it was worth it. Nathan was always an annoying bore to me, so I'm not gonna complain over his death. I'm actually quite happy and anxious to see his face in the sky tonight.

Slowly continuing my walk away from the sight of his dead body, which is probably miles away by now, I make sight of a somewhat old-looking cabin. With Nathan's blood still on the tip of my fingers—and my entire arm—I start to loosen my grip on the two bags that I'm carrying.

This cabin that I'm walking towards would probably have been avoided by me if it weren't for the winter flowers surrounding it. They cover up the entire front porch of the small shack, even the garden area. Slowly bending down, I pick one of them up and sniff it.

The sweet smell of the flower really attracts me to more of them, but the snow that covers it is really starting to anger me. Picking up one of the bags that I acquired, I throw it down onto the floor once again and kick it in front of the closed door.

I slowly pick up about twenty more of the small winter flowers, placing them neatly into my pocket and grabbing my other bag. Swiping the other one from the floor, I forcefully slam my foot into the fragile door of the open cabin and walk straight in.

''I'm home,'' I shout aloud, snickering as I toss both bags to the side of a small couch. Inspecting the house, I take in all of my surroundings and see what could possibly be of use here. To the right is an open area that leads into a kitchen, with a refrigerator, stove, and even its own table—basically everything you'd find in a kitchen.

Checking the refrigerator, a large owl covered in snow jumps out at me and starts flapping it's wings, cutting into my skin and scratching my face with its claws. Grabbing it by the left wing, I slam the owl into a wall. Most of the snow that was on its body is now on the floor, just like the owl is.

I repeatedly slam my foot into it's face. The sword that I acquired from the bloodbath is lying next to my bags on the couch, giving me a great idea. Slowly picking it up as I walk over to the couch, I quickly throw it at the struggling owl. The sword stabs straight into the owl's wing, keeping it locked to a wall.

Speaking of the wall, the pictures on them make a smile creep on my lips. Picking up the owl's free wing, I try to pull it away from the one wing that's stuck. Finally, it's ripped away and struggles to get free from my grip. Small hoots come out from it's lips, causing my smile to grow larger.

Slamming it's body onto the wall repeatedly, I smear the owl's blood across the paintings of random men and women that look like Capitolites. Continuing to punish the fowl creature, I write the name ' _Satan_ ' across the picture frames.

''Stop, stop!'' the owl cries out, forcing me to jump back and drop it to the floor. ''You're... g-going the w-wrong way. It's too early to be moving near the Sphinx.''

''What?!'' I flinch, my body temperature starts rising now. ''What are you talking about? Dammit, what are you?!''

''A mutt, o-obviously,'' it groans, the right side of it's body wingless with blood oozing out of its open wound. The blood basically covers the floor, almost like water that you use to mop your floor. ''I repeat: It's too early to be m-moving towards the S-Sphinx. Stop while you can now...''

''Is this some sick prank from the gamemakers? You're trying to kill me already, and you literally just had how many deaths now?'' I accuse, staring at the owl. Gruesomely wanting to kill it, I kick it closer to the wall and rip the sword out of the wall, holding it up as I wait for the perfect time to slay it. ''Because I don't like pranks.''

''Just heed my warning,'' the owl coughs up, trying to let out it's dying groans. ''Continuing the path that you're going is a bad idea. Don't do it or you'll regret the outco-''

Shoving the sword straight into the owl's head, I instantly stop it from speaking. ''You guys think this is funny?'' I yell out, anger running through my veins. ''I bet all you fucking Capitolites were elated when you saw that owl attack me, weren't you?! Now you're probably upset that another tribute didn't die! How many cannons would that have been? You know what?! That's not my problem, though, because you idiots remiss in your duties to kill me!''

 _Let it out. Let all of that anger out,_ his voice travels through my thoughts once more. Listening to as he says, I disclose my feelings about the Capitol. ''When I get out of here, I'm going to murder each and every one of you! I'm gonna burn your city, build Houses of Worship for my master, and raise your children into Satan-worshiping disciples!''

Throwing parts of the couches aside, ripping the furniture that's lied out nicely and stabbing my sword into every inch of the wall, I begin to destroy the house. Everything—almost everything—downstairs was razed.

Walking upstairs, I continue to damage my surroundings. Some windows are broken, the small chairs that were displayed right next to beds are thrown outside of the cabin, and the doors are all completely broken down. There might be a couple of things still left undamaged—like a few windows and the bed that I plan on sleeping on.

 _Just heed my warning_ , the owl's stupid voice makes my anger trigger again. Instead of damaging the property I simply lie down on the bed and place my sword on the floor. But still, there's no point in fretting over some stupid mutt that the gamemakers tried to make scare me off.

If anything, I should be the one scaring them off. Nothing here scares me, especially not some stupid wannabe bird that speaks in a deep, robotic voice. The idiotic voice is still stuck in my head, and now I'm really pissed off at the gamemakers. These small, torn flowers are the only things that are probably keeping me sane.

 _Aw-whoooo!_

W-What the hell was that?

 _Aw-whoooo!_

I realize this to be the sound of a wolf. Dammit, they're already sending more after me. That stupid warning was bull! They're so bloodthirsty! I've yet to do anything besides get one kill, and now they're sending a wolf after me?

 _Aw-whoooo!_

Suddenly it's not just one wolf anymore, but now they're in packs... And from the sound of it, from what I can tell, there are about six of them. Out of nowhere a couple of windows crash—the ones that I left untouched, I mean. Two wolves jump through the left and right windows, making me jump out of bed and pick up my sword.

They both jump up at the same time, leaving me quite vulnerable to an attack, but they can also hurt themselves. Ducking abruptly, I roll under the two wolves and run back towards the staircase. That's where four more wolves all appear out of nowhere.

Two of them barge in through the broken door at the same time; two more are currently biting at the already destroyed furniture. Slowly turning my head to my right, I look at a fireplace—one that I didn't notice before.

The sword in my hand is trembling, but it's not because I'm scared. It's because I'm pissed. Anger just rushes throughout my entire body. My body temperature just sores—and I thought it was hot before. ''Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me?!''

This draws the attention of all of them, including the two from before. Slowly creeping behind me, I can hear the wolves' snarling. Wet fluid begins to touch my ankles, and I easily recognize it as drool. This is very, very annoying. I'm not even kidding, I swear I'm about to shoot out at everyone and everything.

The four below begin to approach me. Before anything can happen, I swing my sword across the face of the wolf right behind me. Looking carefully at it, I realize it to be an arctic wolf. I should've known that from before since I'm located in a cold, snowy area.

It squeals and jumps back, a large gash cut deep in it's face. I don't even have extra support to comfort myself besides a sword. They trapped me on purpose! They freaking trapped me! And what now? Am I gonna die on the first day after I literally just satisfied them with the death of a tribute?!

 _Who are you trying to satisfy? Me, or them?_

''You, obviously.'' I smile, nodding to myself. _Then show them that you're no pushover. No disciple of mine is going to die twice in a row. Don't upset me, Candice. Remember, I brought you back to life because I had faith in you. Do what you've been taught to do, and make me happy._

''You know what,'' I laugh, aloud towards the Capitol to show them that I'm actually happy that they brought out these mutts. ''I'm very, _very_ happy that you brought these mutts out to me. The bloodshed's just begun, to tell you the truth. Send as many as you want. I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!''

It's almost as if thirty minutes have passed by, and I'm feeling quite soar. My entire body is hurting, but maybe it's because of all the fighting I did. After all, it was to show them all that I'm here to win. But this is relaxing. Trust me when I tell you that.

Slowly opening my eyes, I take in my surrounding, once again. The darkness of the room, with only a hint of light because of the fireplace that was already set up here, and six dead wolves all surrounding me, I feel like I'm back in my sanctuary. Remember the flowers that I collected before?

Yeah, they're surrounding the dead wolves.

Rolling my eyes backwards, I begin my prayer. My body starts to feel relived, almost as if my soul has been set free. All of the pain—all of the blood—has been washed away along with my worries. The anger that I felt before has now been diminished, just like the lives of seven mutts and one tribute.

 _You've been a lovely girl so far, Candice. Continue as you're doing, and you'll be out of here sooner than later. And remember, show these foul tributes what hell is like. Show them that what they've seen so far is nothing compared to what they would've received with me._

''Did I put on a show for you guys?'' I ask the Capitol, knowing for a fact that their cameras are most likely pointed at me. ''Did you freak, or did you enjoy my performance..?''

''Because you'll be seeing more of it soon.''

* * *

 **Sashen Baize, 16;**

 **District Twelve Female**

I see different hues of colors like orange, pink, purples, and gold that light up the sky. It's almost like the sky gets brighter before it turns dark, meaning that they're gonna be showing the faces of the dead tributes soon. The thing is, who are the dead tributes?

That question has been running through my mind throughout my walk with Levi. Ever since we gave up searching for Nathan at the cornucopia, because the Careers were at every corner we searched, I've been having this terrible feeling in my chest that Nathan just might be... gone.

The feeling just doesn't feel right. Like, I know that something bad happened but I don't want to admit it. Admitting it proves that I give up, and I don't give up on my allies—Nathan is no exception, I won't leave him.

''Levi,'' I whisper, knowing that I didn't draw his attention at all. But I might just be wrong.

''I don't enjoy this, Sashen,'' he starts, already knowing exactly what I was gonna bring up. Although he looks torn, he continues to walk in the cold snow, forcing his way through the rough layers of it all. ''I didn't want to leave Nathan. I'm scared for him. He could be dead, Sashen, dead!''

It's sad, really, leaving Nathan back like that. There was just so much blood, and way too many open bodies. Some of them were unrecognizable, and I had no idea how to tell certain tributes from another. I don't even know who died!

Levi puts on a sad face, looking almost as if he wants to cry. But that's when I see it—the small tears dripping from his eyes. We both know that it's only day one, but there's been so much going on already. When you see corpses that close up, it just haunts you.

And their limp bodies never escape your mind.

''It's wrong, Sashen,'' Levi chokes, his voice raspy, even though nothing's currently happening right now. The thing is, I don't blame him for crying. I'd probably be crying, too, at this moment, but I'm doing my best to stay calm and strong.

Levi's already hurt, but I need to comfort him instead of encourage him to cry by crying myself. ''Very wrong, Levi. I know how terrible this is, but you have to continue. Don't cry... Yeah, it's painful, but we have to look on the bright side. If we really try hard, maybe one of us can get out of here alive.''

''Yeah,'' Levi stares up, the tears completely blocking his vision as he looks away from me. ''Only _one_ of us gets out of here. We already had a chance once, but now it's even more terrible because everyone's doing their best to get out. Alliances will be breaking soon—and that might include us!''

''We won't be breaking up soon!'' I shout, and I know that raising my voice won't work but I need to get Levi to listen. ''We're a team, and nothing's gonna break us apart, okay? Whatever the Capitol thinks means nothing. They can try what they want, like send mutts at us and even hit us with natural disasters, but as long as we stick together we'll be able to conquer them!''

Wiping the snot from his nose, Levi smiles kindly at me. ''Ha ha, thanks, Sashen,'' he manages, his voice still raspy. ''You know, you're really kind, and I appreciate you. Has anyone ever told you that before?''

''Only a few, but as long as I make people happy then that's all that matters.'' I snicker, smiling widely at the sound of Levi's voice. Honestly, we've never had time to talk to one-on-one, alone to ourselves. He's always been quite shy and a bit distant from the alliance. When we were first established in the Training Center, he was sort of outgoing, but that all soon disappeared after Nathan joined.

And now? Nathan missing from our alliance and it's as if he's even more shy than before. ''Well, more people need to praise you, because you really know how to lighten up the mood.''

''Aw, thanks!'' I squeal, blushing a bit because of the compliment. ''That's really nice of you to say! You're not half-bad yourself.''

''Me?'' Levi asks, puzzled. ''I'm worse than bad, if anything. I don't deserve praise for anything, really. What have I done to help this alliance? You and Nathan have both been the only ones to keep this alliance together, and I've done nothing but cry and sulk to myself all the time.''

''That's not true, man,'' I try my best to reassure him, softly punching him in the shoulder. ''You've made us happy on a daily basis countless of times. Remember when Nathan and I felt bad about having low scores? You were here to fix that. Remember when we felt like nobody would sponsor us? You were also here to fix that. And remember when you saved us from the bloodbat-''

''I didn't save _us_ , Sashen, I saved _no-one_ ,'' he sighs, trembling a bit as he continues to cry. Levi is like a brother to me, someone that I always want to be by and make sure that they're feeling high and mighty about themselves. ''Nathan could be lying dead covered deeply in snow for all we kn-''

Leaning up to stop his babbling, I kiss Levi on the cheek, smiling kindly at him as I descend. ''Levi, don't fret. Please, believe me when I tell you that Nathan might be alive. I don't want you worrying about this when we don't even know what happened to him.''

I want to make sure that even if I'm not feeling one hundred percent positive about Nathan surviving myself, then Levi will be. It's difficult, I know that for sure, but it never hurts to try. Levi is one of the many people that I know I want to learn more about, but he's special to me.

He just ranks high above the rest.

And you can't forget about Nathan, either.

They're both people that I want to spend my time with, and just being in an alliance with them is a blessing itself. Speaking to them is something else. They're both basically my Guardian Angels, and when I think about how lucky I am to have them I just can't help but feel special.

It's been hours and Levi and I have been trekking for so long, not knowing exactly where we're going. You could even call us lost. Man, what I would do for a sponsor gift right now. Anything, really. Maybe just a simple water bottle, or maybe a bag containing-

Wait a minute, a _bag_.

What have we been doing all this time? We both have a bag each! ''Levi!'' I grab his shoulder, almost screeching into his ear, breaking the awkward silence. He doesn't say anything but he does perch down and stare at me, a questioned look on his face. ''You didn't forget that we had bags, did you? You ever just stop and forget, wondering what that heavy feeling on your back was?!''

Levi just lets out a light chuckle, almost turning into a full-on laugh. ''Yes, I did remember that we had our bags. Do you want to stop and check what's inside of them, or do you wanna wait until we reach sanctuary and settle down-''

His voice is completely blocked out by what I see in front of me. ''Levi, look!'' I point forward, staring at the open area of nothing but sand. Judging by the look on Levi's face, he's not entirely happy about where we arrived. But for me, this is amazing—I love it so much!

The vastness, the bare open flatness, the look from horizon to horizon and nothing but red dirt, dried stubble remains of the grass that's too dry for animals to eat; gibber stones glinting in the dim sunlight; one lonely shrub that somehow managed to survive the intense heat of the sunlight.

The friendly look of flies making their way across the somewhat heated area—it would be burning hot if the sun wasn't down just a bit. The rocks scattered around the entrance of the borderline between the snow-covered area and the heat-filled area is just overwhelming.

Levi's face makes me want to burst out laughing, because he looks completely shocked, but not in an ecstatic way. He seems more disappointed about it, but we're here, and there's no way that we're turning back after walking how many miles, now.

I love the desert because of the heat—and the heat reminds me of fire, which is what I'm accustomed to using. It's going to be hard at first, that's for sure, but we'll learn to make work of it. I know we will.

''Hey!'' I smile, catching Levi off guard as he flinches a bit, sending me a forced smile. Even though it might be fake, I know that he's still a genuine person at heart. He's most likely just upset because of the current situation we're in, and I don't blame him. The heat won't be easy, but we have to try.

''Hmm, what is it?''

''Bet you I can make it to the desert before you!''

''W-What?'' he's confused. ''W-Why would I race you to the desert? Doesn't that seem a bit too much? I mean, running through the snow and then onto the san-''

''Ready set go!'' I shout, starting to run with my bag over my shoulder. Taking one glance over my shoulder, I smile when I see Levi's puzzled face.

''Wait, wait!'' he shouts, starting after me. Levi runs pretty slow, but the snow is hard to move through. Ha ha, it's cute watching him run. Levi's very special to me, and I know that I'll do whatever it takes to protect him. Someone like him doesn't deserve to be hurt.

And I'll do whatever I can to make sure that he's happy.

* * *

 **Orion Aquarius, 17;**

 **District Seven Male**

 _Boom!_

 _Boom!_

 _Boom!_

 _Boom!_

 _Boom!_

 _Boom!_

The sound of the cannons catch me off guard, giving me a mini heart attack and making my chest hurt. I felt as if my heart was gonna jump out of my chest. When I remember watching the games on T.V. back at home I remember that listening to it from a screen was much more different than actually experiencing.

But then again, I've never experienced it before until now.

The dark night sky blackens everything in front of me, making it pretty hard to see where I'm going. All I know is that I made it past the snow-covered part of the Arena, from what I'm guessing, and made it into this forest. The dark purple sky is lighten ominously by the dreadful moon that brings back memories. It's smile creeps in the night, almost deviously as I can see blood pour from it's hollow craters.

The gamemakers are really adding a couple of creepy twists to the Arena this year. First there were five suns, now what, are there gonna be five moons, too? _Probably_ , my conscience answers for me. Staring back down at _his—_ and now my—axe, I groan and furrow my eyebrows at the sight of his tainted blood on the edge of the tip.

Ugh, he pissed me off so much. And you know what? I'm happy that he's dead. I'm happy that he's gone once and for all. Finally, I won't have to listen to anymore of his bickering, anymore of his whining, and definitely not anymore of his idiotic cursing. It's all just so useless!

If I could, I would definitely slam my axe back into his stomach and out—but I've already done that. Thinking about it puts a smile on my face. No more Carter, and now I can go on and do what I've been trained to do my whole life. These games are mine to win, but my cover is pretty much blown by now.

Eudora saw _everything_ , and I even tried to play the nice-guy act. Looking down at Carter before I killed him, mouthing apologies and pretending as if I cared... It was all just a hoax. I'm surprised that nobody saw it coming yet. Imagine the looks on the Capitolites' faces when I ripped Carter's small intestine out.

Man, they must've been eating it up.

The Panem Anthem catches me off guard, showing the faces of the tributes in the sky. Oh, look who's first to appear—Carter. Staring up at the sky, I smile cheekily to myself. A small chuckle escapes my lips as his face fades away and they show the rest of the tributes who died today, ending with the boy from Twelve.

I'm not really sure if that they were all bloodbaths or not, but I'm guessing that they were. The rest of the tributes—from my judgment—don't seem to be pushovers. Especially not Mickaela—the little girl from Ten. She's manipulative, just like me, but I can see something bright in her. I wouldn't be surprised if she made it far.

How many tributes in this Arena do you think are wondering 'Who killed Carter' right now? Imagine the looks on their faces when they, if they do, find out that I did it. Nobody expected the _innocent_ boy from Seven to manage a single kill, despite the score of a _10_.

Hey, I'm not even gonna lie right now. In the most unbiased way that I can possibly muster, I say that I should be receiving sponsors soon. Come on, look at me. No, I'm not boasting, but I do want _all_ of the sponsors. Call me what you want; selfish, I am. I'm not afraid to admit that, but I'm also not afraid to-

A loud, disgusting, grunting noise draws me from my thoughts, almost scaring the life out of me. From the noise, you can tell that the thing's mouth is full of saliva and that the purr of it's tongue means trouble. The screech sends shivers down my spine, making me stand up instantly and picking up all of my equipment.

It's already hard to see in this darkness, but what makes it worse is the area that I'm in. Lifting my face, I let whatever light I can dance across my skin. Inhaling the minty smell of the air, I started, shivering in the sound of my feet sliding through the leaves. The trees stood utterly still, like statues in a living museum where no leaf dared to fall.

Goosebumps ran through my spine as I continued. What are the gamemakers planning? Are they trying to make me bump into another tribute? Because if they are, I can sure give them a show. But still, the sound of... whatever that was still scared me half to death—and it still is.

The wind ran aggressively through the wrinkly, naked, brown branches of the trees; it was impossible for me to walk through without getting slapped a bit by the strong wind. It's almost as if the rattling wind was directing me over to a scenery. One that I wish I didn't see...

A velociraptor—not one, but three—all swarming another mutt, dead at their feet. Without thinking, the action that I take ruins me for the rest of tonight. I have no idea why I did it, but I slammed my hand against a scarecrow looking-like tree, with hollow holes in its dent openings.

All three turn simultaneously, sending me jumping back at least ten feet. Instead of slowly approaching me they begin to run, full-speed. Struggling to get up, I slam my axe into the ground and begin to run, looking back as I go.

I have no idea where I'm going but I'm sprinting as fast as I can. Casually looking over my shoulder every other second I almost run into a tree, only to swerve to the left, seconds before the collision. This slows me down a bit. I almost trip over myself, landing on the axe that sticks to the ground.

Unfortunately, I can't even get it out. I've gotten a bit of distance away from the velociraptors, but this is just too much of a struggle. I would easily be able to remove it if I wasn't in such a scary situation.

As I finally remove my axe, I continue sprinting. There's no way I'm getting out of this alive. I knew, I knew it, I knew it! The thought about me never making it past day one has always been stuck in my mind, and I'm not shocked by it, either. Of course I wouldn't. I'll never make it out!

They're catching up, I know it! What am I supposed to do?!

Not even realizing that I had my eyes squinted shut as I ran, I forcefully open them and look ahead. One more glance behind, I notice exactly how close they are and how _tall_ and _large_ they are. They're at least six feet tall—which means that they're taller than me!

Realizing this, the adrenaline kicks in through my body. Once I realize how close I am to a group of trees, I swiftly jump up at least twenty feet before I reach the area and somehow manage to come in contact with one of them, slamming my axe into it's trunk.

I'm doing my best to climb up the tree as quick as I can, even though it's much more difficult than I thought. I almost lose my grip and fall back a bit, but my legs rap around the tree just a bit and make it easier for me to retain my axe.

The rest of this climb is quite easy, actually. How quickly I move is beyond me, and I'm so happy right now that I'm alive. Honestly, if it was anyone else I wouldn't care. As long as I'm safe... Well, that's all I can ask for. I'm still not sure how I survived, though, because there's no way I'm going to win these games.

How am I gonna win if I can barely escape some stupid mutts, when tributes can be just as deadly? Maybe even more, depending on who they are. This is exhausting. Very, very exhausting. This is really starting to get to me.

My sweat drips from my forehead to my Arena Outfit, sticking to the clothes to my body and making it hard for me to cool down. Who knew that in the cold, starry night that you could sweat so much? Isn't it just funny? How the mutts that I've escaped continue to slam against the tree, trying their hardest to push me off of this branch?

Sucks for them because I'm not giving up that easily. _But your grip from the branch is gonna slip. You're not gonna survive, Orion_. There it goes again—my pessimistic side. But you know what? It's true. It's very, very true. There's no way that I'm gonna survive this. These mutts won't give up, and I bet they'll attract other tributes towards me.

Whoever thought that an ending would be this lame? Some mutts continuing to draw attention to you, giving other tributes the opportunity to kill you. If I do go out that way, I want to make sure someone goes down with me. As long as it's not just me, then it's all good. _No. No, it isn't. I want, want, want to win._

''Dammit!'' I shout, punching the branch that I'm on and then swinging my arm back, accidentally hitting the back of my vest. Out of nowhere my Arena Outfit begins to morph into something else, changing from winter clothes to more jungle-like clothes. ''Well, this is interesting...''

Suddenly I'm in nothing but a caveman out; just a short gown that ends right below my thigh with cheetah prints on them, with the left side of my chest and arm left open and visible to the cold air.

For some reason, though, I prefer this outfit way more than my regular outfit. I mean, it's much better than the one I had before. But what is this, though? How did this trigger?

Am I able to use it again?

Oh, no, I can't just be left like this...

Because now I'm very, very anxious to find out more.

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy, guys. So here's day one. Initially, this chapter was supposed to have two deaths in it, but I decided against it because I never put up the second poll to this story. Yeah, but I promise that those two deaths will occur next chapter, whether both of the tributes that I plan on score the highest score or not. It doesn't matter, but I still like to know opinions, you know? Anyway, I hope you guys liked the five POV thing. I liked it, but I don't think I'll be doing it for every chapter. Mainly the ones with not much going in them, or maybe just the ones where nobody dies.**

 **I was planning on this story behind Day One, Night One, Day Two, Night Two type of crap but then I decided against it because this story would be dragged out too long for what I planned. I'd probably end up at 40 chapters, which I don't intend on this story. It'll honestly most likely end by 28 or less. Maybe 30 if I decide to go ahead with what I'm planning. Yeah, it's pretty short, but it'll be exciting, I can promise that. The deaths that I have for some of these tributes... Your favorites being ripped apart from you and the ones you hate surviving, or dying.**

 **It'll be a blast. Just like my mixtape that's coming out June 2nd, 2016. Hell yeah, buy my shit, fam. I'll be having number one hits, and guess what. Drake already signed me. But Drake's straight. I mean, he's got bars but nothing on me. Anyway, I'll be having fifteen songs on my first album called ''No Snitching; The Life of a True OG'' The songs feature: Killing 24 Teens In A Story Online, Drake Is My Bitch, People Tell Me I Look Like I'm Eight, Delete My History, Go Thru Yo Phone, Katniss x Johanna x Cashmere x Cecelia. Jk, scratch Cecelia. XD No, I'm kidding, but for real, though, buy my mixtape.**

 **There are more songs featured in it like Life of Cress, Getting A Victor, 2nd Place Is Ass, and even Career Life; Dying From Overconfidence and Something Stupid. Yes, my music will be Worldwide. You can get the free shipping to America, Canada, Uganda, Britain, Mexico, Australia, Japan, Iceland, Greenland, and even Antarctica. Shout out to all my snow people out there. I forgot what they call you... Also, you can pre-order if for only $99.99. Yes, and don't forget to share with family and friends. Advertise my shit, bring love to me ;0**

 **Enough of my random babbling, let's get onto the questions, how about it? ;)**

* * *

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least Enjoyable, since you guys say there's never a least favorite. Well, most of you. I mean, it's the same thing, but whatever. J-Just answer the question...**

 **Who do you think is dying next chapter?**

 **Buy my mixtape?**

 **Predictions?! On any tribute, you know... J-Just p-predict something, even if it's basically the same question I asked above. No, the second one above, not the first one...**

* * *

 **Alright, well, that's all for today, guys! Yeah, this came out later than I thought it would, because I'm a procrastinating boy who doesn't know how to spend his free time. Ha ha, yeah. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. OH, AND GO VOTE ON THE POLL! The new one ;) See you guys next chapter, bye! ^-^**


	21. Boom Boom Boom!

**Day Two:**

* * *

 **Enigma Lilac Brine, 18;**

 **District Five Female**

''Wake up!''

''Huh?'' I groan, rubbing my eyeballs as I casually sit up. Leveling my hands up into the air, I stretch them out into the open breeze that's flowing naturally and smoothly against my hair, and let out a fallacious yawn.

''What, are you tired or something?'' Asyrin questions, giving me a deadly glare. ''If you're tired, you can just leave, you know? We don't need tired people in this alliance, especially not if they're just gonna sit back and hide behind another member.''

''We, or you?'' Seraphina asks, also being awoken by Asyrin's shouting. ''You can't let us rest for at least twenty more minutes? I mean, we all know that you're bloodthirsty and all but you don't have to-''

''Shut up!'' he snarls, tightening his fists and staring out into the open. With that, he begins to walk towards the dual person tent that Isha and Hero received last night, kicking away all of our bags as he moves. Instead of opening the tent, he casually waits aside from it and peeks inside every once in a while. ''Hey... Wake up!''

Immediately, you can hear the groans of Isha and Hero as they both wake up from the tent. I take this as an opportunity to wake up Domino, who sleeps right beside me on the twigs and leaves of this forest. I'm so fortunate to have been given a sleeping bag, which was originally his, but because of how generous he was, he decided to hand it to me.

''Hey, sweetie,'' I whisper, gently stroking his cheek and shaking his shoulder. ''Come on, it's time to get up.'' With my words, Domino peers up, placing his hand in front of his eyes to block the radiant brightness of the sun. Leaning forward, he takes me by my hand and smiles.

As soon as I'm about to say something, Asyrin's troubled breathing startles me. He begins kicking Isha and Hero's tent, staring back at us and back at them, also murmuring vapid and dull comments about the two of them always being together. Speaking of tents, Asyrin got a dual person tent as a sponsor gift last night.

I guess that's what he deserves for acquiring two kills. When we all hear another groan, Asyrin rushes inside of the tent. ''Y'all fucking?'' he shouts from inside, pushing the limits of the tents support. Suddenly both Hero and Isha are pushed out of the tent, both landing on the ground and a look of pain on their faces. ''Y'all was fucking.''

''No, Asyrin,'' Isha grunts, slowly placing her right hand on the base of her head. She looks around, noticing that we're all awake, with a disturbed look on her face. ''We're both tired, and we have no idea why you're waking us up so early in the morning. Nobody does!''

''Are you trying to get loud with me?'' Asyrin croaked, slowly reaching down for a mace. ''Did you forget who you were talking to? Say something stupid like that again, retaliate against me one more time, and I'll end you quicker than you can blink.''

''Asyrin, stop,'' Hero chuckles, staring up and smiling brightly at Asyrin. Looks like he's back to normal, and that's something that we all wanted to see, judging by the features on everyone's face. ''Where do you come up with these assumptions anyway? Plus that's gross, so why would we be doing something like that?''

''Because Ms. I Have A Baby over here doesn't know how to keep her body to herself,'' Asyrin replies, staring straight at Isha while playing with the spikes on his mace. ''Anyway, we need to start hunting. We didn't get anyone last night, and we spent way too much time crossing the field of snow, thanks to Domino and Enigma over there.''

''But why should we go hunting so early? What do you gain from hunting while it's still dark out? Nobody is gonna be spotted, and you'll have a rough time navigating where you're going.'' Seraphina points out. ''If you think you'll find anyone, by all means go ahead and try it.''

''That's not entirely true, Seraphina,'' I start, coughing as everyone turns their gaze towards me. ''We have a better chance of eliminating the competition this way, if you think about it. Everyone is most likely sleeping at a time like this, so hunting now would give us a jump on the game, therefore allowing us to make these games end quicker.''

''You want these games to end quicker?'' Isha jumps in, already packed with a bag on her back and a bow poised in her hand. ''You know that means all of us have to die, including you and Domino, right? In fact, why don't we have a career bloodbath right now? Whoever makes it out alive, since I doubt anyone besides one of us will live after this, can go along to win. Deal?''

''Deal!'' Asyrin jumps up, running straight towards Isha with a mace still in his hand. She stares right at him as he continues running, her bow raised up and an arrow shot into Asyrin's leg. He lets out a shout, tripping a bit until he finally reaches Isha—and when he does, she sticks out her foot.

Asyrin lands roughly on the twigs that scratch up his face, making blood trickle down his bloodied skin. Struggling to get up, he's quickly pushed back down to the ground by Isha, who stomps her foot on his neck and presses an arrow to his temple. ''Are you sure you wanna go along with this?''

''Yeah,'' Asyrin snickers, but that only leads to her stomping on his neck even harder. Asyrin grunts, the arrow that was in his leg being pushed deeper in. Out of no where, he uses his aggression to push himself up and throw Isha's leg off of him. Getting up, Asyrin rips the arrow out of his leg it's nothing, showing no sign of weakness and hurls the arrow at Isha—the arrow travels through the air like it would if it was shot out of an arrow.

The strength that Asyrin shows... It's just not human.

Isha, who seems to be as shocked as the rest of us, moves to the right and escapes the arrow, but only to have Asyrin's hands clutched on her Arena Outfit, swaying her left and right as he yells obscenities at her. Hero, who gets up in an instance, comes over and pulls Asyrin away, with the help of Domino.

''Calm down,'' Hero tries to keep Asyrin's anger from surfacing to the point where he kills us all. With Domino's help, Asyrin calms down quicker, showing no emotion whatsoever. Both Isha and Asyrin glare at each other—both of their looks scare the living crap out of me.

But their looks aren't what's disturbing. What Asyrin says made my heart skip a beat. ''Isha, I'm giving you seven chances, okay?'' he warns, sticking both of his hands up with six fingers raised in the air. ''I'm gonna snap my fingers six times; one snap means that I'm gonna tear your skin out, which I'll use to cover up your decaying flesh. The second snap means that I'm gonna tear out your hair and gnaw them between my teeth. The third snap is for your bones, which I'll fashion into clubs; the fourth one for your heart, and that's gonna be torn from your chest. The fifth snap is for your teeth—those will be kept in a jar when I get out of here. Six times for your eyes that I'll pluck out one-by-one; and the seventh snap for your soul that'll be set free after I mutilate you!''

…Utter silence; that's all there is now. No matter what goes on throughout these games, what Asyrin just said will haunt me for the rest of my time in this alliance. ''Woah...''

Letting those words escape my mouth was a mistake. Asyrin marches over to me, the latent smile on his face showing just how much he wants to kill someone right now—and I'm that person. ''D-Domino?'' As Asyrin gets closer, I realize just how much of a behemoth he is; his size larger than anyone of us here, his muscles threatening to rip open the inner coat of his outfit. The bloodshot eyes, the clenched jaw, the grinding of his teeth—every feature that someone who's completely pissed would possess. ''Domino!''

With force so strong, Asyrin grabs me by my hair, ripping parts of it out as he drags me across the floor. My vision begins to daze, and all I can see is Domino running towards me, yelling something that I can't comprehend. Asyrin doesn't stop his assault, though, and I know that when I feel the pressure of a lifted foot hit me straight in my face.

The back of my head slams onto the small pile of grass all around, cushioning the fall but leaving me only with a bit of pain. It's almost as if I can feel myself losing consciousness, like I can feel my soul being set free. And just when I think it's over, Asyrin slams something down onto my stomach, piercing through my skin and making me cough up blood.

''ASYRIN! STOP!'' Domino yells, punching Asyrin in the back of the head. Asyrin drops to the floor right beside me, but that doesn't stop him from continuing his assault. As Domino struggles to keep Asyrin on the floor, Asyrin just breaks through and pushes Domino away—he flew like a rag doll, due to the strength of Asyrin.

Like the adept that he is, Asyrin lifts me up with one arm—by my hair, again. Most of it is ripping out of my scalp, and I know that this won't be an easy death. Nobody's gonna save me except for Domino, though. I know he'll come and rescue me.

...He will, right?

Seraphina stands there, her hands covering her mouth. Hero is sitting on the floor, his hand on his hair and a gaped mouth. And Isha... Well, she has an arrow poised. _Please let if fly, please let it fly_. That's all I can think to myself before I see Domino running towards me, Isha letting her arrow go, and Asyrin bringing his mace to my face.

It's like time stops flowing because something pierces through my forehead and out the back of my skull. Immediately, my body goes limp. It's almost as if I didn't feel a single thing. My body begins to feel lighter, like there's no more weight behind pushed down onto it.

Like I'm free.

And as I'm being set free, the only thing I see while looking below is Asyrin still holding me up, a small hole through my forehead, the darkest, red-colored blood sputtering out of the back of my head like a waterfall, and a blood-curdling scream coming from the mouth of Domino.

So long, buddy. I'll see you sooner than later, and when do meet again, I know we can be free together. Our times together will always be cherished, and nobody will be able to take that from us. This isn't goodbye. It's just a short farewell. I'll see you later...

'' _ **ENIGMA!**_ ''

* * *

 **Zahra, 16;**

 **District Nine Female**

 _Boom!_

The sound of that tremulous cannon wakes me up.

It's always scary when a cannon booms, but at least I know that there's another tribute out of the running. I just wonder who it was. Hopefully it was one of the careers; seeing them in the sky at night, eliminated early on, would be the best thing to happen, seeming as they all have some sort of skill—skill that's able to kill everyone in this Arena.

I know that I shouldn't say that, because it's wrong, but I can't feel bad for others if I want to win. But imagine how they feel. See, that's the thing. Having no idea how they feel, I just say it how it is. People in this Arena are dying, and I'm glad that it isn't me, but I don't know what they're going through.

What if their deaths are being drawn out by mutts, or other tributes are choking them to death? It's not fair. _What about you? You need to stop thinking of other people and start thinking about yourself. Anything could happen, and being so selfless isn't a smart decision in the games. Even if you do know them, don't feel sorry... What's that gonna get you?_

Staring up into the sky, I realize how altruistic I am. Caring about people is good, yeah, but there's a point where it's too much—and I think I've reached that point. What do I get from caring about others in the Hunger Games? _Death_ , most likely...

Behind the still, tough trees, the sun peaked brightly, ready to start this new day. Although it's not fully out, the sky started to become blue again, instead of the orange and purple look of the early sky. The sky showed signs of happiness, but that soon dissipated when the wind whispered through the trees as the sun began to descend again...

 _''Get out of here.''_

''What?'' I blurt out, looking back and forth, through the spaces in between the trees to see if it's another tribute. Speaking probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, and I could've obviously taken any other choice of action, but I wasn't thinking.

The wind begins to blow roughly, pushing my hair into my eyes to block my vision. As I wipe my hand across my face—to move the hair away—I see a tall figure, at least eleven feet tall, pass by through the trees.

''W-What's going on?'' I worried. Then it happens again, with my hair passing through my eyes and blocking my vision. At first, the creature, thing, or whatever you wanna call it was quite far away, but as time passes by and the wind keeps blowing, it continues to get closer.

Something bad's gonna happen—and I can tell just by the way my surrounding environment is acting up. One-by-one, the browning leaves sink to the ground. They lie scattered around the bare corpse that was once called their home. As each leaf falls, they're slowly swept away, leaving a clearing for me and me only.

All around me, as I stood there, catching my breathe and letting my eyes survey the area, I kept taking note of all the tree slump remains. Just minutes ago, each and every tree here was flourished with beautiful leaves—and now it's all decayed.

There was a faint odor of decay around, but still a bit of life left. Moss covered the trees once mighty roots and fungus grew out of the trunks. Grass and other weeds covered the base of the fallen giants. The once happy sky—the once morning sky—began to darken.

Furiously, the dark clouds loomed over the tree tops, adding a much more scary feeling to the entire area. First the leaves, then the trees, now the clouds! All around me I can hear footsteps—multiple footsteps. Maybe mutts who are running away from something that's coming...

The trees, broken down and faded away, all started swaying with the wind.

I gulp.

My body gets lifted a bit, like I was levitating into the air. Along with my body, my bag begins to rise as well. Forgetting to move, I struggle to get back down but eventually do as I wiggle my body around in the air, forcefully landing on my right shoulder.

Looking up, I watch as dark, gray clouds blanket the sky angrily. They swirl overhead, turning into thunderous clouds. Slowly, the rain pours down from the sky and meets the ground with a calming noise. And then, that's when the unexpected happened. Out of nowhere lightning began to strike.

Miles ahead of me, I can see multiple strikes hitting the ground. Even behind me, as a matter of fact. Now the rain seems to be getting rough. The rain drummed on the ground, pouring all over my head and drenching me from head to toe. Literally, every single part of my body is covered in water, sticking my Arena Outfit to my skin.

Last night it turned into a short dress after I slapped my neck when something was bugging me. It also has cheetah prints on it, but that's not the point. Shaking my head, I quickly stand up and hold my bag in my hand, reaching inside for a knife. Finally finding one, it pricks my finger just a bit but I rip it out in order to protect myself.

 _''GET OUT!''_

I jump back, holding my breath and sweating to a point where my body begins to overheat. As I look closer, I can see someone walking—but there's no way in hell that this thing is a tribute. Like before, the same... whatever the hell this thing is, stands at at least eleven feet tall. The closer and closer it gets, making its way through the dead trees, it begins to grow shorter and shorter.

Maybe I overlooked it at first, but that doesn't mean anything. This thing could still be deadly. I know that this might be the wrong time to do so, but I grab my Arena Outfit and begin rinsing it out, even though there's more rain pelting on it by the second.

 _''Hello,''_ two voices send shivers down my spine. Looking up, whatever that I saw before is standing right in front of me. It's a... A man... A naked man, actually. Not fully naked, I mean, but he's quite... revealing. He looks like a peasant with barely any clothing to cover his body parts. He's like a caveman, when I think about it.

Leaves are surrounding his pelvis and upper thigh, covering his private but leaving everything else completely out there. The hair on his body is like none I've ever seen before, and he has some Jesus hair. His bread starts from his nostrils and descends to his lower chest—and that's pretty long. With all the hair on his body, you could classify him as an ape. He has a smug look on his face with his left eyebrow sticking up and his right eyebrow staying in it's normal position. On top of his head is a headpiece that's made from all leaves—and because of this headpiece I'm guessing that he's bald or just has a receding hairline. To end off his appearance, he's holding a staff that's made out of wood and has two branches sticking out from the top, and the bottom, with three leaves sticking out from each side.

''H-Hi,'' I hesitate, staring straight in the man's eyes. His look scares me. I don't know what type of mutt this is, but I know that it can't be good. Hiding the knife behind my back, I sling the bag onto my shoulder and begin to back away, slowly.

 _''Where are you going?''_

''Y-You told me to get out of here, didn't you?'' I swallow the spit on my mouth. My throat is parched, so it hurt quite a bit as it made its way through my throat. ''I-I just wanted to leave before something bad happens. But thanks for t-the warning. B-Bye for now!''

Before I can even move away, he grabs my hand. _''Follow me,''_ he orders. My pupils begin to shake, I can feel my heart beating against my chest, and my brain telling me to get the hell out of here.

Shaking my head, I try to go against it. ''N-No, thank you.''

 _''FOLLOW ME!''_

After he says that, the mutt begins to attack me. His hands turn from regular human hands to claws with sharp fingernails. Doing his best to dig it into my throat, I duck down, dodging at the last second—but even after I dodged, he did something I wasn't expecting at all.

His left hand is thrown up into the air, grabbing me by my neck and slamming me into the ground. Thinking that it's over, I close my eyes and wait for death to take my soul. But instead of dying, I begin to laugh. Hands—rough hands—being to tickle my neck, making me laugh out loud for such a long period of time.

I don't know what he's doing, or what the hell type of strings the gamemakers are trying to pull, but it's effective. I'm running short on breath, and it's becoming so hard to breathe, but I just can't stop laughing. Is this really how I'm going out, by being tickled to death? That's a terrible way to go out.

 _No, no, no. You're not going out like that_. _You're going to get out of this, I know you will. Now think, Zahra. Don't just do, think!_

Think... Think, think, think. Remembering that I had a knife in my hand, but it's no longer there, I begin to move my arm around to get a touch of the weapon that was once in my possession. Finally getting my hand clutched around the knife, I swing the sharp, murderous blade into the air, stabbing the man in the neck.

A squeal escapes his mouth, and the blow of the knife galvanized him. He jumps back, blood sputtering out of his neck, everywhere. As he struggles to take care of his bleeding skin, I get up and collate all of my equipment, then begin to run away. Running straight forward—still through the rain—I hear a grunt.

I don't know why I turned around, but when I did the man from before was no longer a man. He was now the same eleven foot creature that I saw before; a woodland spirit. He stares at me blankly as I continue to sprint away, both of his pupils locked on me like it's calculating my exact movements.

Running farther and farther away, his appearance begins to fade and all I can see now is his silhouette—but that begins to fade, too, and he jumps straight into the air. Jumping from at least fifty feet and landing right in front of me, his force pushes me back into a fallen tree, my head slamming into the hard wood.

I begin to feel the blood oozing out, slowly dripping from my head to the floor. The mutt slowly approaches me, his feet stomping roughly on the forest floor. _Think, Zahra, think!_ Looking up at the mutt, I take in his look. He has the same beard, except this time it's down to his stomach and it's made out of grass and vines, a tail, two hooves that are blood red, and at least three horns scattered around every edge of its body; it has green eyes and disgustingly pale white skin.

The mutt stares at me, readying itself to charge and attack. He sprints my way, and I still haven't though of a single thing to do. My knife is still in my hand—but there's no way in hell that I'll be able to use it in time. He gets closer and closer, his eyes digging into my soul like a dagger, and begins to slow down once it gets five feet away from me.

By a fortuitous chance, I suddenly bring my arm up and stab the knife into the mutts arm, it's blood squirting all over my body. The mutt begins to gasp for air, falling back a little bit as it struggles to get up.

This has been the most opportunistic chance I've ever had during these games, and I don't plan on wasting it. Hurrying to pick up all of my items, I grab everything and begin to sprint forward again. My head hurts like crazy, yeah, but I can't stop because of a little bit of pain.

Thinking that I got away, I make my way to a clearing area where I bump into a female—and three more females are all surrounding her. My head begins to hurt again, a throbbing pain that's located in the area of my forehead.

Taking a quick glance as I groan, I take in who I just bumped into. There are three girls just standing there, and one girl on the ground who seems to be older than all of them. Looking closer, I realize it to be the girl from One.

''Shit.''

* * *

 **Anaya Akira Celtic, 15;**

 **District Six Female**

''Oh, this is great..!'' Parvati grunts, slowly picking herself up. ''Can you guys really not see where you're going?! You all wanted to follow me, and now you're trying to run in front of me and make me fa-''

''Parvati, that's neither of us,'' Mickaela clarifies, turning around and staring at me as she does. ''Guys, I'm scared!''

Mickaela quickly makes her way towards me, hiding behind my back as I hold up all of her equipment. I've been helping everyone here out by holding their bags and such, and although I'm not sure why they can't do it themselves, I'm happy that I'm able to be of assistance.

''It's okay, Mick,'' I reassured, patting her head and keeping her in a safe position. Parvati seems confused by what Mickaela just said, and because of this she grows suspicious. She just doesn't see what the rest of us do, and neither of us dare to say a word.

There's already been one cannon today, and having another one blast would be bad. Especially for this girl. She looks so innocent but terrified at the same time. You can just tell by the look on her face that she just experienced something frightening.

I stare at Paisly, making a face to tell her to be quiet. More bloodshed isn't what anyone wants—besides the Capitol and a couple of careers, of course. Kneeling on the muddy, wet floor, I lean into the girl and warn her, advising that she gets out of here as quick as possible.

''Leave,'' I beg, placing my hand on her shoulder as the weight of everyone's bags press against my back. ''Don't let Parvati find you. If she does, she'll kill you. Now go, please!''

''Anaya, who are you talking to?'' Parvati asks, walking towards me. ''Why are you and Paisly huddled up over there like that?'' Turning back towards Paisly, I give her a pity filled look, pleading for her not to say a word about this.

''What are you talking about? I'm over here.'' Paisly says, and the location of her voice is nowhere near mine. Parvati begins to grow even more suspicious, looking back and forth as she starts to question us. When Paisly sees me, her eyes grow wider—she didn't get what I was trying to say.

Catching on, she quietly makes her way towards me, pushing the girl from whatever District aside. ''Go!'' she snarls ferociously, pushing the girl in a rough manner. When I take a closer look at the girl, I realize her to be the one from Nine. She's the one without a last name, I believe.

Heeding our advice, she begins running. Wherever she went, she's no longer here. At least she's safe from death; that's all I wanted. No more lives need to be taken away, and I'm gonna do my best to make sure of that.

Something's bothering me, though. The way Paisly was being so aggressive, the way she was pushing her away. Where did all of that come from? ''Paisly, what was that?'' I ask, making sure to whisper. From the corner of my eye, I can see Mick staring at the two of us, her hands placed on her knees.

''What are you talking about?'' Paisly looks up at me, puzzled. She wipes the rain away from her face, but that doesn't lead to anywhere because it won't stop pouring. I have no clue as to why we're even outside; nobody should be outside when there's weather like this. ''Nothing happened.''

''The way you pushed her. It was almost forceful and on purpose, and you also said something when I begged you not to with my look,'' I dared to say. ''What was that? Is there something I'm missing here, Paisly?''

''No, I just wasn't able to see because of the rain. It was clogging up my vision,'' she lies. I know Paisly, and her lies are easy to indicate. She usually does this thing with her nose where she begins to sniff a lot. ''Look, let's just get over it, okay?''

''Paisly, tell me what all of that was about, please!'' I say a little too loud, but nobody around seems to hear me. Paisly puts on an angered face, like I'm irritating her with my questions. ''Come on, you can tell me-''

''Anaya, shut up!'' she snaps, staring at me with stone-cold eyes, almost like she wants to hurt me. The spear clutched in her hand is trembling, and I'm literally scared for my life here. But I can't just give up, and I won't. Call me obnoxious if you want, but I'm curious as to why she pushed Zahra in such an angered way.

''Paisly, why are you mad?'' I ask. I've been observing Paisly for the past day, not because I was suspicious or anything, but because she was acting different. Something obviously happened between the girls when I wasn't here, but I have no idea what it is and no-one wants to fill me in.

''I'm not mad, okay?'' Paisly wants to get this conversation out of the way, that's easy to see. ''I just want to get out of this damn Arena, okay?''

''I get that, but you're completely different than before. Something obviously happe-''

''Get away from me!'' The sound of a female's voice interrupts us from our conversation. Parvati stares blankly, waiting to see what she can find. From the shadows, I can see a girl running away from a large figure. T-That figure reminds me of the one that the boy from Two has—the exact same one.

Parvati notices this and begins running after the two of them, followed by Paisly, Mickaela, and I. We're all trying to keep up with her, but she's just too fast. Suddenly, a cry makes me stop dead in my tracks, causing Paisly to bump into me and push me closer to an area that we've never been to before.

Slowly approaching the voice, I hide behind a tree and watch. T-The boy from Two... H-He's fighting with the girl from Four, landing punch after punch on her. She's trying to fight, she really is, but it's a desperate attempt and there's no way that she'd be able to keep up with his hits.

Why is he attacking her, though? Why is she all alone? Where are the other careers? Did one of the earlier cannons have to do with a career? Closely observing, I watch as Four picks up her fallen spear, swinging it as soon as she catches grip. The boy from Two now has two weapons in his hands that he got from his bag: one mace and one machete. Instantly, it turns into a heated battle.

The boy from Two sings his machete at Four first, but it's quickly blocked by her spear. His actions are so reckless and unexpected that it's hard for her to keep up. Four thinks she has the upper hand on Two until he brings his mace down, forcefully swinging it at her feet.

She jumps, only seconds before the weapon could make contact with her. When she lands on the floor, the machete goes flying towards her neck. As if she was expecting that to happen, she ducks, kicking at Two's leg. He stumbles back, the pain rushing through both of their bodies. From the looks of it, he has a cut there—no, not a cut, a hole.

She swings her spear towards his neck, cutting the flesh off of his skin and drawing blood. As she continues to spear him, he just blocks like it's nothing. There's a benevolent smile on his face, but you can't help but think that it's false. One wrong move and either of these two could be dead. Speaking of one wrong move, the girl from Four reaches out with her hand this time instead of using the spear to attack.

This is a huge mistake, because Two is able to bring his leg up to her stomach. The girl screams, the sound of her yelling echoes through each and every hollow tree that still remains. As she lies flat on the ground, Two stomps on her right arm, twisting his foot around as a devilish smile crosses his facial features.

With a demonic glint in his eyes, he brings his machete down onto her right arm, instantly cutting through all of her bone and splitting her arm in half. She shrieks, yelling out in pain but still manages to stay strong. There's a look in her eyes, a look of pain and agony, but she won't dare cry.

I stand back, holding my hand up to my mouth. As much as I want to help her, my body just won't move. I'm paralyzed in fear. Fear of dying, fear of the pain, fear of being caught. The girl begins to crawl away, her grunts filled with fear.

''Stop crawling,'' Two says, his voice devious and monotone. He begins chasing after her, a slow pace of his as he taunts her for trying to escape. Once he finally reaches her, he picks her up by her hair and begins dragging her to an area of quick sand—and knowing him, this won't end well. ''You afraid now? What happened to all that shit you were talking before?''

Parvati runs up behind me, grabbing me by my shoulder, staring ahead. I let out a small shriek, barely audible, though, because she covers my mouth with her hand. She continues to stare as Two places Four's body into dangerous quicksand as she tries to kick him away. The only part of her body that's not sinking is the upper part and her left hand. She struggles, trying her hardest to get out but that only makes her sink deeper in.

''You know, I could kill you now but I think a slow, suffocating death is much more suiting for you,'' he smirks, walking away from the forest. ''What do you think..?'' His voice is barely audible now. He's gone—completely gone. Staring at the girl from Four, I begin to make my way towards her. Parvati rushes past me as soon as I start and kicks the girl straight in the face.

Her actions surprise me. I didn't want this to happen—I merely wanted to add her to the alliance and have her cohort with us. Never did I expect for something like this to happen. Parvati, who gives Four a deadly glare, continues her assault on the helpless girl. The weapon that she has in her hand—the meteor hammer—is clutched tightly. ''Wait, stop!''

Four tries to plead. She doesn't want to be here anymore, she doesn't want to be troubled anymore. Parvati doesn't even bother to answer back. Nothing at all escapes from her lips. She swings her weapon down but Four brings her spear up, with her left hand only. It's hard for her to keep it still because of Parvati's strength. The spear inches closer and closer towards her neck, giving Parvati an open shot.

Four suspects Parvati to attack her in the face, but she's mistaken. Parvati slams the meteor hammer into Four's right arm, making her yell in pain and unadulterated agony. ''Agh!'' Four closes her eyelids, doing her best to bite back the pain. Parvati, who's so needy for this kill, kicks Four in the throat.

''W-What d-did I d-do to y-you?'' Four is able to cough up, but only just a bit is understandable, while the rest of her words are mumbled. ''Y-You're a-after me, and I-I d-didn't do a-anything to y-you, dammit!'' Tears begin to stream down the girl's face now. I can't take this anymore. _I can't, I can't, I can't!_

''PARVATI, STOP!'' I yell, running straight at her. Parvati turns around, taking a glance and smiling at me. Turning my gaze to the left, I watch closely as Four picks up her spear, and with all the force that she has left, tries to stab it straight into Parvati's chest, letting it go and soar through the air.

'' _ **MOVE!**_ ''

Jumping in front of Parvati, I scream as the thrown spear enters itself through my chest and protrudes out my back, the unimaginable pain taking over my body. In an instance, it feels like white hot fire is surfacing on my skin, burning me as each second passes by.

''ANAYA!'' both Paisly and Mickaela scream, running towards me and kneeling by my side when they arrive. Staring up at the two, my vision begins to fog. I do my best to stare down at the wound, but looking at it makes it hurt even more. The pain is just too much for me to handle, and my screams just won't stop.

My vision begins to dim, but not before I hear a cannon blast—was it mine, though? I'm still able to see the people around me, so I'm guessing that it was Four's. Struggling to tilt my head, I finally catch the sighting of Four's head deep in the quicksand, blood surfacing to the top and only her left hand being left out. Parvati's weapon is lying on the floor, blood and skin covering the murderous item completely.

 _Scream._ That's all I can do. The spear continues to push deeper into my chest and keeps itself in the middle of my body. I'm not surviving this, I know that as a fact. Although I wish there was more that I could've done. I wish there were more people that I could've known, people that I could've grown a relationship with and genuinely known—but that doesn't seem like it'll happen anytime soon.

Paisly stares at me, tears running down her cheeks as she continues to yell at me. I'm not able to hear it, though, because my hearing begins to shut down. My screaming is silenced, the voices of my fellow allies are silenced, and so is the sound of everything else around me.

The only thing that I can feel now is pain. Nothing but pain, but soon that starts to leave my body and leaves me still. The blowing wind leaves me relaxed, and I feel as though I'm able to overcome this—but everyone knows for a fact that I won't be able to.

With just one last effort, I reach into my short dress and take out a note. I received this note as a sponsor gift yesterday, and it shocked me. Slipping it into Paisly's hands, I let out one final smile—my last smile.

And then, everything just goes quiet.

* * *

 **Lark McGlacen, 17;**

 **District Nine Male**

 _Boom!_

''There's the second cannon of the day,'' I point out, dropping my head to the floor as I put my hands in my pockets. Glancing around, I make note of the nature all around me. It's beautiful, really. Most people dislike the Hunger Games Arenas, but I think they're just beautiful landscapes that are used for meaningless acts.

Sadly, you can't find places like these in the Districts—maybe the Capitol, but definitely not the Districts. Keeping my thoughts to myself, I look at Julio. He hasn't said anything since last night when we were forced to turn around from our walk and head a different direction by the gamemakers. Honestly, I have no idea where we're going, but I'm just trekking along with Julio until we reach somewhere safe.

 _Boom!_

My eyes widen. Three deaths in the matter of three hours. Either the gamemakers are really busy today or the careers have gotten a serious jump on the game. Who would've thought that we'd receive three deaths on day two?—that rarely ever happens, from what I've seen.

''There's the third one,'' Julio jokes, continuing to walk.

I've never really heard Julio joke before, and this was a shocker. Stopping dead in my tracks, I stare at him. Was this seriously something that he made a joke out of, or..? Honestly, I don't know what to do in a situation like this.

''Huh?'' Julio looks back, a disgusted look on his face as he stares at me. ''Is there something ahead of me. If so, tell me now, because I'm not planning on dying today.''

''No, no, there's nothing ahead of you,'' I informed, kicking at the snow with my feet. Sadly, I don't even know why we're still here in the snow. Even if we were turned back, you'd think we would at least find shelter or safety or just something to keep us safe by now.

''So why are you dallying? Julio questions, both of his eyebrows raised in suspicion. ''Come on, we need to keep moving. It's cold as hell out here, and we haven't even slept yet. Once we get to shelter, you take first watch, okay?''

''Okay.'' I obey, _but why do I have to take first watch? Why can't he take first watch?_ I'd never say that, though. Keeping quiet and not standing out is my thing, so there's no point in trying to ask him why. ''How long do you want me to watch out?''

''Does it matter?''

 _It matters if you don't want me to leave you, asshole._ ''No, it doesn't. I was just curious because I want to sleep, too, y'know?'' He shrugs his shoulders. Continuing our walk, noises begin startle both Julio and I. He looks at me, telling me that I can lead. Taking the challenge, I begin to walk forward, even though I have no idea where I'm leading myself.

Our journey to wherever we're going is taking quite some time, and through this blizzard my hair is becoming disheveled. ''Hey, Lark, what's that sound, man? Seriously, if you're pulling pranks on me, stop it.''

''What sounds are you talking about?'' That's when I hear it. First there was one, now there's two, and so on the numbers keep growing. Elephants, I believe. Something of the sort. The sound that they make begins to blast through the air, rupturing the silence—which I thought was peaceful.

''Holy crap. Julio, I think we should get out of here,'' I advised, beginning to pick up my pace. He stares at me, but then he nods his head. A gulp coming from his lips until a sponsor gift comes down from the air.

 _Chime._

It's nothing more than a simple note. Reading it carefully, I realize that we really should get the hell out of there. Julio asks to read it so I hand it to him. His pupils dilate when he reads the note. ''The... The Capitol's specifically targeting us?''

Nodding, I begin to run. The sound of mutts begin to pick up and suddenly there are woolly mammoths behind Julio. He turns around at the site of the mutts, and as soon as he sees them he begins to run with me. We're both sprinting as fast as we can, away from at least twelve mammoths, all who are fifteen times larger than we are.

A chuckle escapes my mouth, something that I would've never expected coming from me at a time like this. Julio looks at me as if I'm crazy, then he starts chuckling, too. ''Wanna mess around with the gamemakers for a while?'' I ask, already carrying out a plan.

''What'd you have in mind?'' he gurgled over the spit in his mouth, giving me a scared look. ''Seriously, Lark, tell me now! Come on, man, I'm scared out of my mind here.''

I'm not one to talk out, but I guess you could say that this is an exception. ''Let's make these mutts confused and tangled. Look at them, all running right beside each other. If we run around them and back together, maybe they'll bump into each other and end up crashing in a head-on collision.''

''And if this goes wrong?''

 _Then we die, idiot._ ''Then we can try something else, now come on!'' I urged, splitting away from Julio with an axe in my hand. As soon as I turn left, a couple of mammoths start to follow after me. The rest of them pursue Julio, and surprisingly enough this plan begins to work. I circle around the group of mammoths—all of the mutts bang together because of this.

A couple of the their tusks stab into each other, the sight of blood trickling from their heads and other various body parts makes me feel disgusted. They all begin to trip, slamming hard against the ice and even breaking it. I watch as the hole that the mammoths make in the ground grows deep, looking as if it was the widened area of the skyscraper that we stayed in.

The mammoths land hard at the bottom of the crack—and they're most likely dead. Turning my attention towards Julio, I realize that he's still struggling to get away. I decide to sit back and relax, just a little payback for him being bossy all the time, but in all honesty I think I can make a bond with this guy. Sure, he can be... difficult at times, but I know that he's truly a kind guy deep down inside.

After Julio manages to escape the mutts, we begin to roam again. We've been quiet for most of our time walking. The sun in the sky begins to lower itself and darkness overcomes our region, signifying night time. ''Hey, Julio.''

''Yeah, what is it?''

''I've never really bothered before, but I'd like to know about your background, if that's fine by you?'' I sighed. ''Yeah, I know it might be weird, but you and I really haven't gotten to know each other very well. Now's a good time to actually learn about one another.''

''Why do you want to know about me?'' he scoffed, picking up his pace. ''There's nothing interesting, really. Well, I don't find anything about me interesting, so I doubt you would.''

''Because I think we can strengthen this bond between us,'' I reasoned. ''You saved me from Challis, and you know quite a few things about me. I just think it's fair that I know about you, don't you think?''

A small chuckle escapes his lips and we begin to speak more. He says that there's nothing interesting about him, but I think there is. Honestly, I don't know why he can be so cruel to me at times—since we seemed to get along perfectly before Challis died—but now I think we're getting back to that older friendship we once had.

After talking for about an hour, we finally reach where the gamemakers were leading us: a desert. Staring up above into the night sky, we see a sponsor gift floating down—carrying all sorts of things. Unfortunately, it's not for us, and Julio knows that because he puts on a frown.

''Hey, remember that escapade we had earlier today?'' I ask, bumping shoulders with him. ''It was pretty fun, right? Watching you run around was hilarious, actually. You made my day.''

''Oh, shut up,'' he laughs, playfully punching me in the shoulder. ''Lark, I know you're not into the whole _killing_ thing, but I know you saw that sponsor gift. Obviously someone's out there, and to survive, we've gotta hunt them down. Please, if you're not up to it, tell me now. I don't want this to be any more painful than it already is.''

Thinking long and hard about it, I finally come up to my senses that I'll go hunting with Julio. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to this at all, but if I need to do it in order to survive... then so be it.

But this is gonna be one miscreant act—especially from me.

* * *

 **18th – Enigma Lilac Brine, District Five**

 **17th – Seraphina Royal, District Four**

 **16th – Anaya Akira Celtic, District Six**

* * *

 **Charlotte, hey... Yeah, I already told you. Enigma wasn't gonna die this early on. In fact, she was gonna make the Feast, but then everyone started hating on her. I didn't really care, but then you gave me permission to kill her because you saw all the hate she was getting. I mean, I didn't wanna kill her but having three deaths this chapter saved me from killing off one of my favorite tributes in the chapter after the next one, so their submitter can thank you for that. But hey, look on the bright side. You still have Domino, and although two out of your three tributes died before the final fifteen, you can bet your ass Domino's going far. He's set free now. I guess you could say that Enigma was holding him down a bit, huh? Anyway, yeah, I'm sorry about her dying. She was a great tribute and I enjoyed writing her. Some people just saw it differently, and that soon led to her inevitable death.**

 **James... Yeah, you probably hate me now. Hey, I know that Seraphina was the tribute that you wanted to win. The thing, though, was that people didn't really seem to like her that much. She was in the bottom two for careers along with Enigma whenever I put a poll, and people just didn't seem to love her that much. In all honesty, I loved Seraphina at first. I still love her, but she became kinda difficult for me to write. Her whole personality was revolved around training, and that was all I saw in the form. I wish I could've explored more of her, and I thought coming into this story that I would do something big with her, but I really didn't. Also, I needed a career death to get their dynamic going. Literally, I knew I was gonna kill a career soon. It was either gonna be in the bloodbath or right after Day One or something. Although two careers—one, if you're thinking by District—died today, it'll still help their dynamic. And hey, you still have Candice. Everyone seems to like her, so keep your hopes up for her. You never know what might happen. I'll just let you know that she's a contender ;)**

 **Sally. Hey, Sally. Sorry about Anaya dying. To tell you the truth, I knew Anaya was gonna die soon. It was always planned. Anaya was one of the people that I thought of bringing to the bloodbath but I decided against it. There was no reason to kill her off that early, and I wanted to kinda give her that moment of spotlight. Yeah, I know, that spotlight was death, and I'm sorry about that. She was just this bubbly and charismatic girl, but she was also naive and unsuspecting. Really, I was gonna make everyone in her alliance use her to their advantage. It seemed likely with someone like Anaya, and her death was also inevitable. I actually thought of how I could work with Anaya as Victor, but it just didn't turn out right in my mind. It seemed weird and I felt like I would be torturing her if I dragged her character out too much. For development, I really couldn't find much to do with her besides make her a little bit suspecting like she was this chapter. Her death was sad for me to write, and an innocent girl like that shouldn't be put in the Hunger Games. Sadly, I knew that it had to end soon, and keeping her around just for an even more painful death would suck. Once again, I'm sorry.**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! So you guys are assholes, you know that? Nah, I'm just kidding. But I'm upset. Every damn time I ask who you think is gonna die you guys come up with the top three tributes. Especially you, 20. You always fucking guess my death order. You even PMed yesterday about the story and you guessed so much shit! I swear I tell at least three of my readers who's gonna die the chapter before or what's gonna happen and I'm starting to feel like you guys are leaking this shit and PMing other readers... I got you, though... I got you... -_- I'm changing the whole plot now because you. I now vow to make these deaths as unpredictable as possible... I do. ANYWAY, so as you can see this chapter was quite the booty. Literally, I gave up by the beginning of Anaya's POV. I was so hype with the first two POVs with Zahra and Enigma; a little bit of Anaya's, and then everything came tumbling down when I reached Lark's POV.**

 **I just started to feel lazy. Ha ha, I felt so good about last chapter that I jumped into this one, thinking that I could make it better, but I failed. :P Hey, at least I got this chapter out, so I can't complain. Oh, and 340 reviews? In 20 chapters?! Guys, that's less than half the chapters I had in my last story and I'm 35 reviews ahead. Teehee, thank you so much! ;D I'm blessed to have readers like you guys. And I can't forget to clap for my Guest friend who remembered my FF username after I decided to ignore his texts. I know you're reading this, Josh. You go anywhere near my cousin and we're fighting. Alright, screw this. I tried to have a decent topic about the chapter but I just can't do that. Not filling you guys in on whatever the hell happened, or whatever tf I can think about feels weird.**

 **So you know when you go on those YouTube runs, right, and then you somehow end up on top 5 ways the World could end? o.o Then you start thinking about aliens and shit, and you realize that there are millions of galaxies out there in the Solar System and that there's no way in hell that you could be the only existing life? Yeah, fam, I'm like... Idk, man, alien war 2018? Possibly... OMG, I just found out that Obama is illuminati. I know what you're thinking. ''What is this idiot going on about? Ansley, shut the fuck up.'' But no! Listen... So tell me why a couple of years ago they were talking about some apocalyptic shit and they sent Obama and his family to the Denver Airport. See, the conspiracy is that the Denver International Airport is the gateway to Hell.**

 **Why else would Obama be looking to go to the airport that leads to Hell? Because he's Illuminati and the Devil keeps him safe! Just like Jay Z—who is not Illuminati, by the way. Jay Z gets money cuz he's real like that—and Kanye West. And Kim! KIM! Think about it. Guys, I should become a freaking conspiracy theorist! Holy shit, that crap is scary but it's wroth it! Ha ha, I'm totally gonna get killed one of these days. If you see me on the news at the age of nineteen dead on the news for trying to either hug a celebrity, trying to sell crack to Chicago residents, instigate in a mafia, or just disappear because of my Illuminati investigations you'll know why o.o AND OBAMA! He's the reincarnation of Osama! No, I know it makes no sense, because he was alive when Osama was, but you gotta look deeper into the mystery. See, their eyes, right? Yes, if you look at both of their eyes, bloodshot when Obama was high af in that one video, you can clearly picture out the coded meaning. AND THERE'S A TRIANGLE IN IT.**

 **Illuminati Confirmed. Come on, what else does that say? I have to sell this story to the news cast, like oh, my God. You guys believe me, though, right? XD I mean, a fifteen-year-old who barely has a tenth grade vocabulary and mistakes the words narcissistic and conceited for a type of cereal, but that doesn't matter! Speaking of narcissistic and conceited, I made a joke about that in a collab Brooke and I are doing. You guys should totally go check it out; it's an SYOT. Come on, you know you're tempted to submit. ;) If you like this story, you'll LOVE our collab. I have a feeling it'll do better than both of our main stories combined. It's called The War of Virtues and it's on Brooke's profile**

 **Hey, when you get to the questions for favorite Victor, put Aiden and Wayne, please. Yes, I know Wayne is ass but Brooke stole Maple from me. Fucking stealing my credit. She would've been suicidal if I didn't make her awesome, and Brooke took her from me! Maple would've been mine, aghahnhlkalhlalhlagjhapjhpjap! Also, when you get to the who's your favorite question, put Ansley. ^^ Come on... Come on... If not, don't be surprised if your tribute dies, bitch... Just kidding! But go submit, please! We'd love to see your tributes. Ha ha, enough of my random Illuminati conspiracy, conceited cereal, Obama Bin Laden, yes I said Obama Bin Laden, Jay Z gets money, disappointed in this chapter ass. Let's get to the questions ;D**

 **OH! And for anyone who's curious, Isha killed Enigma because it was a pity kill. Asyrin would've made her suffer and nobody would dare try to fight Asyrin. The Career alliance split, Domino was kicked out before it did when he tried to kill Asyrin but failed. Asyrin gave him a chance and felt sorry—yes, sorry—for the poor fool, so he just kicked him out. Isha and Hero managed to escape when Asyrin declared a Career Bloodbath so he went after Seraphina. They fought for two hours because Asyrin was going soft on her. Hesitation, anyone? Parvati brutally killed Seraphina but I didn't write that because when I had Caleb preview it he cringed like a little bitch. And there was more, but I forgot. Just ask me if you need more info or whatever, idk. Now, onto the questions!**

* * *

 **You're in the career alliance and Asyrin declares a Career Bloodbath. An arrow goes flying into one of your allies' heads and you know that it's official on. What do you do?**

 **Some man-mutt thingy tries to tickle you to death. How do you get out of the situation?**

 **The gamemakers send woolly mammoths after you to rile up the Capitol after three deaths because of their bloodthirsty asses. You manage to escape the ones after you but your ally is struggling and is about to be trampled. Do you do anything? Psh, I gtfo xD**

 **Do you believe in the reincarnation/Illuminati/Denver Airport conspiracy?! I can't be the only one o_o I'm not going crazy, I promise...**

 **Are you gonna submit to War of Virtues? Please do. For me. :)**

 **Your ally takes a spear to the chest for you and dies. What do you do? Pay your respects, ignore them, walk away, some Katniss shit?**

 **Who do you think is dying next chapter? I swear if one of you guess who it is your tribute is dying that chapter, too... Ha ha, jokes! For now...**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I know that this chapter wasn't the best by all means, and I'm upset with it but it's whatever. I promise that next chapter will be better. There's gonna be a death, obviously, and I plan on making that one a struggling one. Hopefully it'll be more descriptive and actually give you guys a feel like you were actually in the Arena. I didn't do that this chapter, so fuck it! -.- And keep voting on the polls! Everyone has at least one vote so far, and that's awesome! Some of these tributes went up, others went down. I think you'll all be somewhat happy with where your tribute stands, and one of you is just gonna go berserk from what I can tell. Anyway, see you guys next chapter! Submit to War of Virtues! Bye! ^^**


	22. Is It Possible To Even Trust Anymore?

**Day Three:**

* * *

 **Levi Wyatt, 17;**

 **District Five Male**

Today's the third day in this vile Arena – the same Arena that is soon gonna be the place where twenty-three tributes – revived tributes, I might add – all die again, and that lucky _one_ tribute is able to make it out alive.

To go back home to his or her mentor, the Capitol, their District, their friends and family – that's a luxury that not many of us will get. And the chances of winning are slim, which makes it even more tough to come to the reality that you just might not make it out alive.

I open my eyes, sighing deeply as the bright sun in this scourging Arena hits me straight in the face, causing me to abruptly squint my eyes shut again. This isn't what I want, this isn't what _anyone_ wants. Maybe the Capitol, but really, if you gave the Career Districts an opportunity, do you think that they'd agree to the Hunger Games?

 _One and Two, probably._ I sigh.

Opening my eyes again, I take in the open sky, breathing roughly as I feel a heat-wave coming on. The yellow, destructive sun shines brightly in the sky, letting out an array of colors that surpass the expectations of a simple, notable star. The clouds boast in the sky, dancing with the sun as more and more heat hits the ground, almost as if it was setting a fire right beside me.

Thankfully, the sun's warmth finally begins to decrease. I breath calmly as the sun's rays tickle against my skin, giving me just the right amount of warmth to feel oddly... comfortable, in a situation like this. Feeling at peace, I sit up and stretch my arms over my head, and just for a moment I feel good – but I know that the feeling will soon be gone because I'm in the Hunger Games, after all.

And nothing good ever comes from the Hunger Games. Anyone who says something good comes out of it is lying to themselves. Despite knowing what I have to do, though, I'm committed to winning – because I want to go back home; to save my mom, to free my brother, to make dad proud, to go back to Kelsin...

Without the realization of my emotions, a tear slowly trickles it's way down my cheek to my chin and falls off onto the red, burning sand. The area where my tear just dropped is literally the only wet spot we have around here. Speaking of we, I don't see Sashen around.

Two days ago, when we first arrived here, our necks both started itching and it felt like a tick was bugging us or something – so reacting timely, we both slapped our necks and something triggered, which resulted with us having these long robes as an Arena Outfit now.

Well, I can't complain all too much. On the inside it's kinda cool, but the sun still absorbs through the skinny fabric. We also have head coverings, and that's helpful, so I have to be appreciative of that – and I truly am, because without it my head would be burning from the sun's violent rays.

Heavy footsteps begin to make their way towards me, and it sounds like someone's sprinting. Quickly getting up, I begin to fold my sleeping bag and look around frantically for my throwing knives, just in case I might need them to protect me – but then it hits me, what if it's Sashen running over here.

There would be nothing to worry about, right? And right on time, she appears right in front of me, a crossbow in hand, pointed straight at me. At the sight of the crossbow, I flinch, jumping back at least five feet and duck my head into my hands. ''Levi!''

Sashen comes running towards me, with a backpack on, and when she reaches me she wraps in a tight hug, kissing my forehead as soon as we make contact. ''Your body, it's heating up!'' And she's right, it really is. I thought that this outfit would really help me out, but the sun is just too much to handle, and the outfit obviously won't sustain me for much longer.

''Yeah, it is, but it doesn't matter too much. As long as you're alright, then that's fine by me-'' Sashen quickly shuts me up by grabbing my arm and pouring some sunscreen on it. I look up at her, shocked, because I don't know where she got all of this equipment from. She smiles at me, a gracious look on her face. ''T-Thank you!''

She assuaged the pain that I was feeling from the heat of the sun, and now I feel completely calm. Looking up at Sashen, I smile and she wraps me into another hug. _Use her, Levi. Take advantage of her and when you're done, ditch her. Ditch her like you're supposed to do._

''No!'' I shout, gasping for my breath when that thought travels through my mind. Sashen turns her head and stares at me, a grimacing look on her face.

''Are you okay, Levi?''

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' I reassure, slowly panting. ''It was just childish behavior, you know? A stupid thought that just crossed my mind, but I'm fine now. Thank you.'' _No, it wasn't, you know it wasn't. Don't lie to her._

What are these games doing to me? What is this Arena doing to me? Staring down at my hands, despite them not being scarred with anyone's blood, I just can't help but feel guilty. All these frightening thoughts are making their way through my mind, and I feel like I'm slowly losing myself. I'm scared – my hands are trembling, my body is shaking, and my heart is pounding.

What is this?

''That's good to hear, Levi,'' Sashen chuckles, letting me go and digging into her large backpack. She pulls out a water bottle and hands it to me, but I can't take this from her. It was _her_ sponsor gift, not mine.

''Sashen, I can't take this from you,'' I refuse, but she pesters me to drink it. That's when I finally give in because she tells me that she has another water bottle so it's fine – but I don't feel fine.

''Thank you,'' I smile, nodding my head at her. As I'm about to speak up, she continues to dig deeper into her backpack and eventually pulls out a loaf of bread. Without a word she splits the bread in half and hands me a piece, despite the fact that I didn't ask – and this just goes to show you how generous she is.

 _Take it. And once you do, pretend like you feel bad. Act sorry that she's handing you all of her sponsors, but really, just use them for your own good. For your greed; for your survival and your purposes only. Not hers, not anybody elses. Just yours..._

''NO!'' I yell, placing my hands on my head and begin to rip parts of my hair out. ''I can't do that to her! I can't, I can't, I can't! It's wrong, disgusting, terrible! I'm not gonna—''

''Levi?!''

Sashen's voice calms me, making me instantly stop my fidgeting. I slowly look up, and as soon as my eyes meet Sashen's the malicious thoughts in my mind wash away; almost like they were never there to begin with, like it was all just fake.

But despite them being washed away, the images of everything I just thought about mirror in my mind, showing me things I wish I didn't see – things that are only seen when you're in the Hunger Games. They drive you mad and tear apart your soul, making you feel worthless, guilty, and useless!

And then, Sashen's face morphs into my mom's. Soon following her is my brother, slowly making his way behind her, and now my dad. They're all looking at me with disapproval written on their faces. They all begin to shake their heads, like they hate me or something.

No, it's not hate. It's fear. _Fear._

The look in their eyes show me that they don't believe in me winning this – that nobody believes in me winning, and that I'm gonna die in this Arena. But no, I know that my family would never think of me like that. It's the Capitol, the twisted Gamemakers setting up a trap for me. Trying to make me suffer. ''Just give up, Levi...''

I feel as though I'm about to snap, like my mind is about to go completely insane until Sashen yells out. And that's when I break free, running over to her and wrapping her around in a tight hug, letting out tears that I was holding back. I'm sobbing into her shoulder now, thinking about everything that's happened. Nine deaths, three days, and there's so much more to come.

But the thing is, I want to win. _And to win, you have to kill Sashen. Would you rather kill her yourself or wait and watch as someone else does it, possibly dragging it out? Huh, Levi? What's your decision?_

Staring down, my eyes widen and I feel my pupils shake. In my boots, a knife of six inches and cold steel lies waiting – waiting for me to use it, but I could never bring myself to doing so. _Do it, Levi!_

''No!''

Sashen yells once again, and that's when I look down and see a scorpion. It's stinger stabs into Sashen's ankle, piercing through her skin and making her cry out in a pain-filled scream; a scream that rings loud into my ears, making me want to cry because I'd never want something like that for my ally. Never!

Ripping the knife out of my boot in a swift motion, I quickly stab the scorpion, holding the ivory handle that looks murderous itself, and twist it into the scorpion. It's almost like I'm letting everything go, like I'm changing, maybe. Like the games are doing terrible, terrible, things to me...

''Hey, did you hear that?' A voice calls out, and it's followed by another one.

''Yeah. Look at the tribute tracker. Maybe there are tributes around!''

''The boy from Five and the girl from Twelve are both around here, and they're only a couple feet away. Let's get 'em!''

What?!

Sashen, with a glint in her eyes, holds her crossbow steadily and aims out into the open, waiting for whoever was just talking to come out and appear. No, I can't let her kill anyone. I can't let anything bad happen to anyone else, despite not being able to save one person already.

''Sashen, no!'' I step in front of her, pleading as I hug her tighter. ''Please, nobody else needs to get hurt! I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone else!''

Sobbing into her shoulder, she tries to explain to me that she'd do anything to protect me, and that even means killing. It took a while, but I finally dissuaded Sashen, and we quickly pack up our equipment and begin to run. Sashen folds her one-person tent, and I just push all of my materials – including the sleeping bag – into my backpack someway, somehow.

We begin running, leaving behind the frivolous equipment such as extra bags that we didn't need behind, entering a deeper part of the Arena. Where Sashen and I are going, it doesn't matter because someway those two are gonna find us again.

Didn't you hear them? They had a _tribute tracker_. They must be hot on our tail right now, and to make matters worse, they know who we are. This is bad, bad, bad! Why does the Capitol enjoy this so much, and why are tributes so willing to kill?

What's the point of it? Does it satisfy them? Is it for their District's honor? Who cares about that stuff, it's wrong! And suddenly, when I think nothing else bad can happen, Sashen drops to the floor, the color fading from her face.

She begins coughing up blood with a tired expression on her face. I run back, placing my hand on her shoulder and quickly bring her back up. Without hesitation, I place Sashen on my back and begin running again, doing my best to make sure that we have a hold on everything – most importantly, her.

With half an hour of non-stop running, I think it's safe to say that we're safe for now. Wherever we are, it's a huge landscape filled with sand dunes and large hills covered in sand entirely. But this is good, we can work with this.

The two from earlier, once they reach here, won't know exactly where we are. We can hide, lay on the low and wait for them to pass by or become confused, and maybe – just maybe – the two will turn on each other due to the Capitol's boredom. I don't want it to happen, but it's a possibility. _You do want it to happen, don't you? You want to competition to die out so that you can win these Games, right?_

Listening to my mind only proves my suspicions to be true...

These Games are changing me – and not for the better.

* * *

 **Paisly Flannel, 15;**

 **District Three Female**

Yesterday was upsetting.

Parvati just had to go and steal Seraphina from me, when she knew that I wanted to kill her. Okay, she might not have known, but we shared the same hatred towards District Four – but you know what, it's fine; there's still the Four male, and he's on my kill-list.

We've currently set up for the night, relaxing just a bit until tomorrow. Today's been quiet; not much action has happened, and it's already dark. I'd say that the Capitol is pretty bored right now, but you can't expect a death everyday now, can you? No, you can't.

But it's most likely that today was a free-bee. They've had nine deaths in two days, so that should be sufficient for them. Really, how greedy can those Capitol bastards be, though? Enjoying all of this? Yeah, well, when I get out of here I'm gonna show them all.

I hope their city burns to the ground. Ever since being Reaped into these stupid Games, all I've wanted was revenge. They've taken everything away from me, brought me back to life, and are now trying to take everything away from me _again_! Well, no! Not this time, I won't allow it.

''I'm gonna go do something...'' Parvati excuses herself, slowly getting up and walking away, weapon in hand. Yesterday she got a sponsor gift, but it wasn't really anything useful – unlike what Mickaela received.

I think it was body lotion or something like that. The Capitol's probably horny and wants to see something from their own private slut, am I right? Would it even be surprising if that's what she was gonna go do? I thought she changed, that she was done with all that bullcrap; that all of her flirting was just a show, but I guess I was wrong.

The girl's willing to survive, and to do that she has to put on a show.

''Where, and why?'' I call out, grabbing the attention of both Parvati and Mickaela. Parvati turns around and stares at me, and there's a murderous glint in her eyes that spells out the words 'Shut up'. Mickaela seems oblivious to everything, and I just can't help but enjoy this.

''I'm just going to check if there's anything sneaking up on us, okay?''

''Well, have fun, Parvati!'' I cheer on, putting on a bubbly smile that makes Mickaela chuckle. ''Hey, promise you won't get hurt? We'd hate for something to happen to you while you're away, okay. Please don't get hurt, and promise to come back to us after a little bit, 'kay?''

''I promise,'' she sighs, sounding a bit agitated. Oh, I'm sorry, did I do that? Well, not everyone is exactly how they seem. You can think of me as the bright and bubbly girl, the one who was _so_ nice in the beginning, but you know what? None of them know me.

My once white and bright clouds are now dark and gray, and I'm willing to play the innocent little girl as long as the Capitol gets a kick out of it – and then, when I'm out of here, I won't hold back any mercy towards them. They'll all get what's coming to them.

''Hey, Mick?'' I cough, looking straight at her. I pick up my spear, making Mickaela flinch back a bit. She's completely clueless as to why I'm holding my spear, but she doesn't need to worry. I'm not gonna hurt her. ''I think I need a bit of space, you know? After Anaya's death, I'm still shaken up a bit, so I'm gonna go lie down somewhere that has open space, okay?''

''Alright,'' Mickaela nods.

Walking through the leaves and vines, I begin to think of Anaya's guileless personality – and thinking about how much we all trusted her, well, I miss her...

Rustling through the leaves and the sound of branches cracking breaks me away from my thoughts, instantly making me fix my gaze towards the direction of the noise. The leaves begin to move, and as I continue to stare, the more anticipated I become to see what pops out.

Clutching my spear tightly, I bring it up in front of me just in case I need to protect myself – for all I know, it could be Parvati, Mickaela, a mutt, or even another tribute. Finally, a tribute appears from the lush green branches, wielding an axe in his hands, playing with it just a bit as he struggles to keep his balance.

As I inspect the tribute closely, I see who it is...

Orion Aquarius of District Seven. Standing here, right in front of me, all bloodied up and he looks like a complete mess. He lets out a deep sigh, wipes the blood away from his face, and doing his best to catch just a bit of air. ''Help me, please...'' He begs, almost dropping to his knees.

He slowly begins to crawl towards me, his backpack dropped along with his axe. ''Please, help me. T-The girl from One... S-She attacked me, and cut me with her weapon when she saw me walking. I-I t-tried to fend her off, but she was too strong for me...''

Parvati did this? No, there's no way she could've. He came from a totally opposite way that she went, so I know he's lying. What's he trying to pull, what's his game?! _Put him out of his misery before it's too late and you regret not killing him!_

Quickly swinging my spear, I aim towards his head – but surprisingly, the boy grabs my spear with his left hand and snickers, waving his index finger back and forth like I just fell into a trap that he set up. ''Oh, you poor girl. You shouldn't have done that, you know?''

''Shit!'' I cursed, trying to pull my spear away from his clutches. I watch carefully as he slowly reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a long piece of rope. He uses my spear to help himself get up, and instead of staying still I'm brought down. ''What the hell! What did you jus-''

''Quiet!'' He huffs, kicking me in the head. ''Listen, the One girl didn't do anything. Hell, I don't even know where she is, but I know that you allied with her so that was my only excuse for coming near you. If I told you that I just killed four mutts and got their blood on me, there's no way you'd think about sparing me for even a second – but even though you tried to kill me, you hesitated for a couple of seconds, so I'm thankful for that. Sadly, I'm not so hesitant when it comes to killing tributes myself...''

''Agh, just leave me alone!'' I demand, still holding on to my spear. I kick at him, but my attacks miss wildly and he just chuckles. Being amused by this, he kicks me once more in the head and drops the spear.

Wrong move, buddy.

I quickly stab my spear straight into leg, but it's not enough. He stands there, his eyes filled with shock. The pain overtakes his legs as he drops back, holding on to his calf. Trying my best to finish it off, I get up from the wet, soiled ground and aim to stab at his stomach but he rolls out of the way. My spear gets caught in the ground, but I quickly remove it, and I know that I won't be able to kill him on my own – so I begin to sprint back to the area Parvati, Mickaela, and me were, doing my best to get some help.

But I'm not fast enough, because despite being stabbed in the leg, the boy quickly catches up to me and aims for my hair, only getting a bit of it caught in his hand. Too bad, though, because he trips over himself and lands face-first into the ground and slams his face on a twig.

He lets out a cry of pain, and you can tell that he just cut something. I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but it's like whatever he tries to do he fails. He does his best to get up, but he just slips and lands back into the ground. A disgusted groan comes from his lips as he begins to choke and cough something up – probably the dirty water in the ground that he consumed.

Like earlier, though, he's hot on my tail. This guy's way too fast for me, and despite being stabbed in the leg he's still keeping up with me. If I keep running he'll just hit me with a surprise attack from behind – well, it won't be a surprise if I see it coming.

Still, though, he's gaining speed. Biting my lip, I come to the conclusion that I have to do something – so I turn around and charge straight at him, which was something he didn't expect. It takes him by shock, seeing as he suddenly stops, and my fist collides with his cheek, knocking him off balance.

''What a clean hit,'' he chuckles, wiping at his cheek to rub off the pain. ''It sucks, though, really. You've got spirit, but it's terrible that you have to die''

''I don't _have_ to do anything!'' I growl, biting down even harder than before. ''If I play this game right, and appeal the Capitol, I'll make it out of here. I'll be their perfect Victor and-''

''Cut the crap, girl.'' Orion spits, holding onto his calf once again. ''The look in your eyes... You know you're not doing this for the Capitol. Tell me why someone like you would try to please the Capitol, especially when they could care less about you? You weren't a fan-favorite, you were barely noticed, and yet you claim to be 'doing this for them'.''

''I didn't have to be a fan-favorite,'' I cough up, choking on my false words. ''As long as I show them that I'm willing to do anything for them, I know that they'll care for me – they'll cherish me with sponsors and help me win, and all I have to do in order to be in their favor is lo... love...''

''Love what?!''

''Stop this,'' I demand, clenching my fist and slowly swing my spear back and forth. ''Why are you doing this? Why are you even following me? We've never had any sort of interaction, yet you're chasing me. And what is all of this for?''

''I just wanna win, sweetie.''

 _Win. He just wants to win._

''Yeah, well I do, too!'' I bite back at him. ''And in order to do that, you have to die.''

''Is that a challenge?''

I don't utter a single word. He takes the answer as it is, and I can tell that from the nod that he gives me. Slowly picking himself up with his axe, he holds onto his calf even harder than before, and you can tell that he's hurting just by the look on his face. _He's hurt_.

He begins charging at me, letting out meaningless taunts and swinging his axe like a mad-man. As soon as he reaches me I bring up my spear, blocking the attack that comes straight for my head. I duck down a bit, but that only leaves me open for a hit – and he uses that opening to knee me in the face.

I hear something crack, and judging by the look on his face, I can tell that something's broken. He chuckles, staring straight at my nose and I can feel the blood pouring down to my mouth. Quickly wiping it away, I leave myself open for yet another attack. And this time, he swings his axe down on to my right arm – my strong arm!

With a clean slice – and the pain erupting throughout the right side of my body – my right arm goes flying in the air, and my spear goes traveling with it. I stand there, shocked, not moving a single muscle. It hurts. Blood pours from my open wound like a lava flow, slowly making it's way down to the ground.

I scream. My mouth just won't close, the pain just won't stop, the feeling won't go away. My emotions aren't held intact and tears begin to stream down my face like crazy. I'm just not able to hold back, and being weaponless is only making matters worse. The only thing that I can do now is run and hope for the best, and that's exactly what I do.

As I start running the opposite direction of Orion, and continue crying, the pain in my wound just won't go away, and it's slowing me down. Behind me, Orion's not even running. In fact, he's taking his time _walking_. There's a devious smile on his face, one that shows you how selfish he is. He doesn't care about how hurt I am, he just wants to kill me.

But I don't want to let that happen. Despite the pain, I continue running. That's when I hear a loud scoff come from Orion's mouth, like he's annoyed, and when I turn around I see that he's on the floor again. He's one clumsy fellow for sure. As he continues to scramble back up, I stop running when I reach my arm – and as I stop to look at it for a second, I pick up the spear with struggle.

''Stop running!'' Orion grits, clenching his axe tighter and flexing his muscles. With a worried look on my face, I begin running again. In the view there's a clearing that looks like there are different routes to it – if I make it far enough, I can even escape Orion and maybe the Capitol will send me sponsors for just trying to give them a show. No matter how much I _hate_ them, I need their help.

But running won't do me any good, because Orion begins sprinting, too. And when I tell you this guy's fast, I mean _fast_. He grabs my hair, adding even more pain to my broken body. Without remorse, he stomps on the spot where my right arm _used_ to be.

A scream escapes my lips, drawing even more tears. And now, I just can't hold it back anymore. ''I HATE YOU! I HATE THE CAPITOL, ALL OF YOU! YOU'RE ALL TERRIBLE PEOPLE WHO ENJOY CHILDREN KILLING EACH OTHER, AND YOU'RE ALL SICK, TWISTED BASTARDS WHO ALL DESERVE TO DIE! I HOPE YOU ALL CRUMBLE UNDER A BRIDGE, GET BURNED ALIVE, SKINNED ALIVE, AND ROT IN HELL! I HATE ALL OF YOU! ALL OF YOU!''

''That's a great way to let out your emotions, but I'm sorry.'' Orion apologizes, even though he doesn't sincerely mean it.

I cry out for help, but that won't do anything. Letting all the tears flow, I use my strength – the tiny bit of it that I have left – to slam the end of my spear straight into his jaw. He jumps back, biting his tongue and not only receiving that pain, but also the pain from my spear. Orion sprawls on the floor, holding his bloodied mouth. He sits up straight, spitting the crimson red blood out of his mouth, and wipes his mouth.

Using my spear to get up, I begin to take off – and I know that I won't make it far, but it's worth a try. That doesn't stop Orion from competing, though, because from the corner of my eye I see him try to throw the piece of rope that he had in his hand earlier. But instead of reaching me with the spear, he wraps his own legs and ends up tripping again.

Definitely not a lucky day for him.

Sighing and continuing to cry, I touch my wound. _It burns, it burns, it burns!_ More tears sprawl out, and I begin to make a disgusting noise, but it's only because I don't want anyone to hear me. Another tribute spotting me would just be worse, and I don't want that to happen. But I'm becoming fatigue, and my pace begins to slow.

Slowing down is bad for me, though, because Orion is back. He's stubborn, way too stubborn. He's at least twenty feet away from me, and I swear he won't stop until I'm dead. And that's when I feel it – the rope. It wraps around my waist, bringing me down on the ground. Orion chuckles, dropping the rope and giving me the opportunity to get up.

I struggle, kicking at the ground and begin running again, but he's right there! With a single last effort, I turn around and swipe my spear across his chest, leaving a large gash there. It's not deep, but it's effective and painful for him, and it also leaves me with a chance to escape.

All of my energy has been used, and I can't be bothered to attack anymore. Escaping is the only option that I have – but I'm not gonna escape, because I feel something collide in between my shoulder blades. Something heavy, something sharp, something rough.

Orion comes walking around, and unties the rope from my waist, wrapping it around my neck this time around. ''I'll make it quick for you,'' he says, ripping his axe out of my back. Blood starts flooding into my mouth, making it hard for me to breathe. I was already choking before, but with this rope tied around my neck I'm choking twice as hard. And I can't even make a sound, nor can I try to even look up at Orion and plead for my life.

He slowly unfolds my hands from the spear, taking it and claiming it as his own. He lifts it up into the air, the glint of the spear shining on my face, and I know what's coming next.

 _I wish the axe hit me in the back of the head, in my spine, anywhere that was vital enough to kill me quickly. But no, it had to hit me in between my shoulder blades and leave me paralyzed, unable to move; unable to crawl, unable to stutter, unable to beg for my life._

 _And I know now, that none of this was ever worth it. Acting bubbly, pretending like I loved the Capitol. Hiding my hatred from them. None of it was necessary, and I should've shown them my hatred to begin with. And now, it's too late. I'm gonna die.._

Using my last breath, I try to let out a couple of words but I can't because I gurgle and choke even more on my own blood. Orion notices that I can't say anything and begins to descend the spear, but at least he offered to let me get out my last few sentences. Too bad they weren't able to be heard.

''By the way, I killed Carter.''

I have no time to even process what he just said because it takes me by surprise. And then, the spear goes straight through my head.

* * *

 **Mickaela Robenson, 12;**

 **District Ten Female**

The Capitol Anthem begins playing, and nobody shows up in the sky. Today was a quiet and basic day, really. And I'm kinda thankful for that, although I dislike the Capitol so much.

Paisly left about forty minutes ago and she still hasn't returned. I'm kinda growing worried, but there's no reason to be since there wasn't a cannon that boomed. If there was, then maybe I'd be panicking. But something could be happening to her right now and we – Parvati and I – wouldn't even know.

But I shouldn't really care, should I? I've always been silently judging Paisly for being fake. She pretends that she cared for the Capitol, that she was loyal to them, but she's really not.

 _That's not the right thing to say, though,_ I shake my head at the thought. My mind, it's frustrating me right now. I really shouldn't judge her like that, because what if _I_ was in her position and wanted revenge on the District that killed me, and the Capitol?

Really, she had every reason to be angry – and with that anger inside of her, there's no doubt in my mind that she could be a contender to winning these games. _Something that I lack. The will to win, and the determination and strength to even continue._

I'm gonna die in this Arena.

I'm gonna die a horrible, horrible death.

This Arena... The person who claims it as their own isn't gonna be me. It's gonna be someone like Parvati, Asyrin, Isha. One of those three is gonna escape here, or if some outer gets lucky and makes their way out, then that'd be nice – but really, I want to win, even though I know I have _no_ chance of surviving.

Nobody here is gonna let me go. Nobody's gonna hesitate when it comes to killing me, and I know that the Capitol surely won't. If I don't do something to entertain them, _anything_ , they'll get another tribute to kill me or worse, mutts...

The thought of mutts makes me shiver. When I think about how I can entertain them, Parvati is the first thing that pops into my mind. The girl has received one sponsor, and I've received many, and I know that she wants to thrive off of me. She probably thinks that because we're in an alliance my sponsors are her sponsors – well, they're not.

I want to trust Parvati, I really do, but after spending some time with her, I realize now that she's not the type of girl you can trust. Sure, she acted and flirtatious and slutty when we were in the Capitol, but that was all just a trick – she even lied to her District Partner and left the Career Alliance.

And for what? Why would you leave the Career Alliance to join three little girls? – one of whom is now dead. What a smart decision she made, right?

I don't mean to get into her business, but where has she gone, anyway? Both her and Paisly have left me all alone, and I have no idea what's out there. That young Gamemaker could be planning on surprising me right now with a mutt attack or something.

Although I doubt he would. He seemed like a nice guy. Well, someone who was tired of his job and really didn't want to be part of the Capitol. But I'm not the person who controls what happens in the Games – he is.

And if he screws up, the President's gonna be out for his head.

That would suck, considering that he's a great Gamemaker. This must be why these past Games have been such a success – and he's planning on making these games a success, too. Honestly, if I could, I'd make it hell for the Capitol and make sure that they don't get _any_ satisfaction.

 _Aren't you the one who was stating that you had no power and couldn't do anything? What happened to that little girl who never believed in herself? Are you changing now, when you finally need to?_

Chuckling, I try to contain my laughter. Huh, I guess I am changing. I'm not sure what to call myself – the people in the Capitol think I'm sweet, my allies think I'm innocent, and I feel like everyone in all just thinks that I'm eccentric.

I'd like to think that I am, but these games have done something to me that I wish they didn't. Slowly but surely, like everyone else in the Arena, I'm turning into a monster. These Games have probably done things to sweet and innocent tributes that turned them into cruel, vicious monsters, and soon I feel like I'm gonna turn out like that.

Looking at the butcher knife next to my bag, I slowly pick myself, along with the knife, up from the ground. I don't know where I'm going, but wherever it is I hope I find one of my allies soon. The leaves are swaying demonically in the night-time wind, and I'm feeling a bit scared.

As I slowly make my way past a couple of vines, slicing through with my knife, I notice a glittering substance in the view. It's blue, and clear, and it looks so refreshing. It kinda looks like- no, it _is_ what I think it is – water!

Why do I have this strange feeling in my stomach? It just feels weird, like something bad is gonna happen, or I'm gonna end up seeing something I don't want to. ''Something's wrong.''

 _Parvati? Or no, is it Paisly? It's gotta be one of them, because I only feel like this whenever I'm around those two_.

Finally entering the clear way, I see a large pond filled with crystal clear water, healthy water, _drinkable_ water. Yes, we do have water in containers, but they're running empty because of how much we drink everyday – you can't blame us for wanting to be hydrated.

Giggling, I run straight into the water, splashing it into the air and having just a bit of fun before I go back to our set spot, where all of our equipment is... Oh, I forgot about that. I don't think it matters too much, though, because really, who's gonna be out at a time like this? The Anthem's passed, it's dark outside, and I just don't think anyone's going to risk it.

Swimming towards the center of the lake, my feet lift from the ground supporting the water and I enter the deeper parts of the pond. My body floats calmly through the water, my head ducking underwater and back up. My hair's wet, my Arena Outfit's wet, and I just feel so calm – like I'm not longer under the pressure of surviving, of winning the Hunger Games.

But soon, that feeling is gone when I see Parvati. She's somewhere deeper into the lake, and I don't know what she's doing but she looks like she has something in her hands. _Please don't let this be some stupid thing she's doing for the Capitol's attention. Please, please, please tell me it's not!_

I've never trusted Parvati as much as I would like to, and I'm very hesitant on speaking with her, despite my cheerful attitude towards her. Crossing my fingers, because I want to trust her, I carefully and quietly swim towards her, and that's when I know my trust for Parvati has been completely broken off.

Like everyone else thought about Parvati when we all first met in the Capitol, I realize her for what she truly is: a sell-out and a slut.

''Really?!'' I shout, glaring at the back of her head.

She stops what she's doing and pulls her top back on, slowly turning around and stares at me, eyes wide open and her mouth agape. ''M-Mickaela, what are yo-''

''Shut up!'' I shout, slamming both of my tiny fists into the water and splashing her. ''I knew I couldn't trust you! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! I thought you changed, Parvati? I thought you were done with all this slutty shit, and that you were different! I thought it was all just an act to get on the Capitol's good-side, to psyche everyone out and think of you as weak, but I guess it's not!''

''Mickaela, wait, you don't-''

''I don't what, huh?!'' I snap at Parvati, inching closer and closer towards her, daring to raise my hand and smack her upside the head. ''I don't _understand_ what you're doing because I don't act like you?; I don't understand what you're doing because I'm not a _slut_?; I don't understand what you're doing because I'm not _FAKE_?!''

''You know what, Parvati? I don't even care anymore. I thought I could trust you, thought we could be honest with each other and play this game out properly, but if you're gonna go behind all of our backs just to gain the Capitol's attention then why are you even in this alliance? You just can't be honest with us? Instead you go and _lie_ , and you do all this ridiculous shit!'' I begin to sweat, continuing to slam my fists into the water. ''How is it that I, a twelve-year-old, have better morals than YOU?!''

''Mickaela, don't even start that game with me!''

''Why not?! What have I done that's as bad and false as what you've done? I don't lie to you guys, I don't go behind your backs just to please the Capitol, and I DON'T try to be domineering and steer this alliance where _I_ want it to go, unlike you!''

''What are you talking about?!'' She shouts at me, standing up and towering over me. ''You're more fake than I am! At least I _try_ to be real with you guys, unlike you who just goes around doing her best to manipulate everyone whenever she can! You wanna play a big-girl game, sweetie, because I can lay the cards out on the table and we'll see how well you do against me.''

She slowly moves towards me, making me sweat even more and gulp. I let out the breath that I didn't even know I was holding, and that's when I see her slowly pick her hands up, almost like she wants to wrap them around my neck and squeeze the life out of me...

''Yes, but I'm doing it to _survive_!'' I retaliate, giving her the most frightening look I've ever given anyone in my life. ''You're a Career, you don't need to do all this crap! You have the skill, the strength and the power to survive, but me? An Outer District girl who cried when she was brought back to life, who cried when she was on her pedestal, who cried during the Launch; the girl who cried waking up the morning of the Games? Hell no. I DO THIS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I DON'T HAVE IT IN ME TO WIN, YOU IDIOT!''

''...But you do, and you could've taken me, Paisly and Anaya out, if you wanted to earlier, but no... You watched as Anaya died, and you didn't even budge – all you did was go and kill her killer, not to avenge her, but because you had a _problem_ with her. You had a problem with the girl who didn't even kill you! You also had a problem with the girl who did, but because she wasn't in these Games you decided that killing Seraphina would solve that void in your heart; the void that you can't fill up! And you use your fake attitude just to fill that empty space-!''

She cuts me off by slapping my right cheek, obviously leaving a large hand print there. The thing is, though, I don't even care. Raising my hand up and pointing my finger at her, the words flow out of my mouth. ''You know what, Parvati? You can hit me all you want, but that won't change a damn thing! You're still you, and you'll never cease to be you! You need to be repressed! First you act all domineering and supercilious – even though you _didn't_ form this alliance – and then you act like your infamy isn't painted in lurid colors all over your face because you don't know how clear it is that you lie to us, and then you... you.. ugh-!''

I'm not even sure how to finish off that sentence with all the anger surging throughout my body. I just want to leave, I just want to go away; I just want to go back home and forget all of this – forget Parvati, the Games, and everyone else in this Arena. That's all I can hope for now.

''Well, why are you even here, huh?'' She asks, folding her hands across her chest. ''Why did you come looking for me?''

''It was inadvertent,'' I bite down on my lip, even though I just lied to her myself. ''But I don't even want to stay here anymore, so I'm done. Have fun doing whatever you do, because I just can't be bothered with you anymore. I hope that your reputation is belittled!''

And with that, I begin to swim away, but I can hear her coming after me – and that's when I begin to panic. I don't want to die, and I know that if she reaches me then she won't be hesitant on finishing me off – after all, it is a way for her to get sponsors.

Instead of attacking me, though, she grabs my arm. ''What do you-''

 _Boom!_

It's been an hour, and that cannon has shaken the entire Arena, since the Capitol Anthem played. Now I'm just curious to see who it is, but that's the exact same moment my mind crosses to Paisly. Where is she?

''Paisly?'' I call out, turning around frantically. Parvati tries to suppress my worries but she can't get control of me. ''Where's Paisly?!'' I don't know why I'm worrying so much, I never really cared that much about my allies – but something in my body keeps making me tingle, and I'm starting to grow affection for them. Like, I'm starting to care for them...

''Mickaela,'' Parvati taps my shoulder.

''WHAT?''

She points to the sky, and that's when I see it. Paisly's forced smile – the smile that she gave the Capitol during the interviews – shines in the starry night sky, confirming yet another tribute has fallen...

''No! No no no no no no no no no no!''

''Stop it, Mickaela,'' Parvati places her hand on my shoulder.

''Don't touch me!''

For a moment, we stare at each other, both of us huffing and puffing – mostly me, though. Without Paisly and Anaya, I'm all alone. Parvati will surely kill me soon, and I'll be nothing more than forgotten – forgotten like every tribute who dies, like every tribute who doesn't _win_.

''It's just me and you now.''

''What makes you think that I'm staying with you?!''

''You have to, unless you want to go defend yourself all around this Arena, with no strength, no survival skills, nothing but those sponsors that you received that will soon run out. It's your call, Mick.''

''Don't call me 'Mick'. You don't have the right to call me that!''

But she's right. All these diffident thoughts are ruining me, and I just can't help it anymore. There's only one solution now; I have to manipulate my way through the rest of these Games – and I know it's wrong, but I _have_ to.

That's the only way.

* * *

 **15th – Paisly Flannel, District Three**

* * *

 **Music. Hey, I feel awful for killing Paisly, to tell you the truth. I know that she was liked at first, but I guess she started to decrease in some people's eyes when she was shown, judging by the poll votes. But the poll votes didn't mean a damn thing to me, I was gonna kill her off this chapter whether she was in first place or not – and yeah, that just shows that polls mean jack shit and anyone can die, really. But she did have one of the bottom two poll votes, and I wasn't expecting that. I honestly thought she would get at least four votes, but I was wrong. And I feel even more terrible because, like other tributes, she only received two POVs before her death, and that sucks. Yeah, I'm a terrible author for not distributing these POVs out equally, and I feel like shit for that. Really, I'm honestly sorry about her dying, and I know that you loved her. I never really thought of Paisly as my Victor, nor did I think of her making it past final 10. I thought the highest I was gonna take her was probably... twelfth place and then she would've been killed off. But I did enjoy writing her, and she was just so fun, really. Hiding her true feelings for the Capitol, it was all just something that I enjoyed. But I just thought it was her time to go. There's always the Capitol hater, and although sometimes they get their ways, Paisly didn't get hers. I'll miss her, and thanks for submitting her to me. :)**

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy! So I just realized I haven't updated this story in what, a week now? A week and a day? Something like that. Really, I thought the last time I updated this story was like, four days ago, but I guess I was wrong because some of you wouldn't stop messaging me and telling me to update -.- But thanks for letting me know. Honestly, I think I would've forgotten about this story if I didn't update today xD But I didn't, so that counts for something, right? Anyway, I hauled ass on this chapter after wanting to get it up. I mean, yesterday night I was sweating like a bitch while writing Levi's POV at 9:30 and then I started writing some of Paisly's, but then I gave up and was like, ''Fuck this shit, I'm gonna go lie down on my bed with my fan on and watch TV or something.''**

 **But aye, it's up today, so that counts for something xD Yeah, I loved this chapter. I don't know if you guys did, but I can safely say that I really liked this chapter, and I think that's a first for me. I don't know, something about it pleases me, but it could be irritating for some of you, ha ha. Oh, well, what can you do about it? Anyway, I just wanna let you guys know what's gonna go down for these last... 5... 6 chapters of SC, I think. Well, maybe 7, depending on if I make a Victory Tour or just a ''Life After Victory'' chapter. But yeah, next chapter is gonna have no deaths, and then from there on out you can expect blood, death, and ruined tributes. I was initially gonna make this story go to 9 days, but I think 8 days is enough for a Games. Plus, I'm honestly getting tired of writing this story and wanna move on to another one. Sigh, I'm such a bum, I hate myself for thinking like that.**

 **But hey, go check out the polls! Hopefully you guys liked where your tributes placed, and some of you started voting for already dead tributes from last chapter, which made no sense to me but alright. You do you. :) You know, it sucks. Levi's slowly being devoured by the Games and it's turning him into something he's not :/ Mickaela's slowly losing her innocent-ness, and snapping on Parvati. Ugh, these tributes are so fun to develop, and I feel like I'm gonna do so much wrong with them.**

 **Oh, and one thing. No one in this story is a Sue or Stu, 'kay? ;U It's my fault, alright. I've just been showing way too many strengths, and I'm getting so many complaints and I'm like, ''Ehhh, noooo!'' But yeah, it's my fault, and I promise to show more weaknesses for tributes – which could potentially lead to their deaths, hehehehehehehehehe c: Well, this is weird now. I think I've gone almost a full A/N without saying anything weird or sharing a story with you guys.**

 **Okay, so this is weird, but I was taking a shower, right? And then I thought about ideas for so many of these tributes and I was like, ''Yes, that'll totally work out and lead to an awesome tribute death/development!'' Then I dropped the soap o_o So then I closed by shower and I was like, ''Nuh-uh, fuck this.'' And then I hopped out and cried on my bed, slowly thinking about what SC does to you when you think about it. Okay, I didn't cry, but I did weep. Okay, I didn't weep or cry but I lied there and thought about my life. Because Crystal likes telling me about what happens to little boys who go to jails. :C It's upsetting, sigh.**

 **Okay, okay. So my friends and I, right? Yeah, I was telling them all about the Illuminati conspiracy, by the way, I am not Illuminati. Just putting that out there ;) But yeah! I told them about it and everyone was like, ''Ansley, you need to stfu. You say some stupid shit everyday, and I'm gonna beat your ass if you don't shut up.'' XD So we usually shrug it off and then we talked about meaningless shit. Then my friend brought THG up and was talking about my story. Fucking Josh, yes, and then he started talking about how he would easily win it and how he could easily kill other tributes. So then, I started with my conspiracy. Now we recorded this, and I don't remember exactly what I said so I'll check my phone and then write this crap down. Here we go o:**

 **''What if you're dead. You are dead contains three words. Ward rhymes with boards. Our school board has three words in it, but what does this have to do with Jay Z being in the Illuminati? I don't know. Jay has three letters. Letters and envelopes. This envelope in my backpack has three words in it. 3 + 3 + 3 = 9. Nine rhymes with five. 5 x 2 = 9, I mean 10. 10, fuck you guys. 10 + 9 = 21, according to that little black kid. 2 + 1 = 3. There are three sides on a triangle. Do you know what a triangle is? Yes, you do. Shia Lebouf's hand. Hand rhymes with band. There's a band called One Direction. One Direction equals two words. There are five members- shit, I mean four. What's his name left. 4 + 2 = 6. There are 6 fingers to a Mutations hands. Mutation can be abbreviated as Mutt. Mutt rhymes with King Tut. Tut and Mut contain 3 letters.(Fuck you, I know Mutt has four letters in it) 6 + 3 = 9, and 3 + 3 = 6. Doesn't that seem suspicious as fuck? 6 + 3 = 9. 9 is an odd number. Odd rhymes with You Are Not James Bond. You Are Not James Bond contains 5 letters. 5 comes after 4. There are three sides to a triangle. 4 – 3 = 1. There is one eye in the Illuminati, so you are dead, because you have one eye.''**

 **And then they responded, ''Ansley, you're fucking stupid. You say stupid shit everday, fam! You have two eyes, and so do all of us! A-Are you serious? Give me that neck!'' And then everyone ganged up on me and I got eagle clawed XD Aw, that shit hurt like a bitch, omg. But then I went home and started thinking about this conspiracy thing harder, and I came up with this.**

 **So Donald Trump, right? Donald has 6 letters, and Trump has 5... 6 – 5 = 1. The Illuminati has 1 eye, so that must mean that Donald Trump is Illuminati! But then I did some research and Kim Jung Un came up. Yes, the dictator of North Korea, I think o_o Crystal and I kept talking about him and I was like, omfg he might be Illuminati in my mind and then I did some research. So listen to this... Just listen...**

 **He's the dictator of North Korea, right? Yeah. North and Korea both have five letters in them, I think. 5 + 5 = 10. South Korea also has 10 letters. How coincidental is it that both North Korea and South Korea have 10 letters in them? Hmm, tell me. But fuck South Korea, let's keep it out of this conspiracy. North Korea hates the US, hence why Kim keeps threatening to nuke tf out of it. But the United States is in North America. How suspicious is it that both North Korea and North America start with ''North''? I don't think that's a coincidence. This shit happened for real because a long time ago Christopher Columbus, or whoever tf named North America North America knew the person who named North Korea and they were bros, or sis'. They had a huge bromance, or sismance, and they shared their places, but then they grew a rivalry and that's continued down for centuries. So America won, and shit happened. America has 7 letters... Kim Jung Un rhymes with ''Dune.'' And yes, I know that has nothing to do with it, but stfu. Dune is the first word in Dune Buggy. Could it be possible that Kim lowkey drives a Dune Buggy? I think so, because Kim Jung Un has 8 letters and Dune Buggy has 9. If you subtract Dune Buggy by Kim Jung Un, you get 1. The Illuminati has 1 eye. So what does this spell out..?**

 **Kim Jung Un is Illuminati. So I told my friends that and they all started laughing at me. And the thing is I'm highly looked down upon the group for saying the weirdest shit xD But that's my job – I'm the clown of the group who makes everyone laugh, I think :D Aw, yeah, and my voice cracked, again, so that's even worse. Sigh, puberty is bad to me.** **.-. But yeah, I mean... Fuck, I have way too much free-time. I need help. Someone contact me and we can go racing cars or something, although I'd end up crashing since I suck on the road. I can't be trusted to drive. But yeah, PM me or something. We'll talk... Lots. ;)**

 **ALRIGHT! Well, on to the questions XD**

* * *

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite? YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE, OMG!**

 **Did I convince you? That's two Illuminati conspiracies, come on!**

 **Did any of those conspiracies make sense? God, I fucked up on them both...**

 **So how are you doing today? :)**

 **Who do you want to die next? The chapter after next chapter, I mean.**

 **Who do you want to die next?**

 **And who do you want, who hasn't gotten a kill, to get a kill? Just curious.**

* * *

 **Anyway, that's all for this chapter. Hopefully I convinced you that Jay Z is not Illuminati and that it is real, because dammit some of these people need Jesus. O: I think I might go undercover and meet Jay Z one day in New York and then, you know, travel with him on his tours. In the back room will be Kanye, and I'll be standing there with a glint in my eyes and a fedora on. We'll have some interesting conversations and I'll have a butter knife in my back, yes, a butter knife, and I'll lock Kanye, a grown man who's probably 100x stronger than I am, in a choke hold xD Jay Z and Beyoncé will both walk into the back room and be like, ''ANSLEY, WTF?!''**

 **And I'll be all like, ''Stfu, bitch! Tell me about the Denver Airport, Obama and your leader!'' And then Kim is gonna appear out of no where and sneak up behind me, sword poised in hand and everything and I'll stab Kanye in the neck and run away or something. Kim follows and I'll be like, ''EHHGHUHSOGUOH!'' And then we'll have this battle off and then she'll turn into a flying demon and I'll be gone by the time she morphs, and I'll be in Miami o.o And then she's gonna find me and we'll have the ultimate battle. And then I'll have a surprise attack on that bitch and throw holy water at her and get her into the light, because I know vampires don't like that shit.**

 **And then yeah... Then Jay and B are gonna tell me everything and hopefully I'll be praised for figuring this out. THEN I'LL HAVE THE ALMIGHTY POWER AND MOVE TO EGYPT WHERE I CAN SIT ON THE TOP OF THE PYRAMIDS BUT NOT AT THE TOP BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T WANT SOMETHING POINTY UP MY ASS, AND THEN I'LL LOOK DOWN ON THE WORLD, and love it will all my might to make sure that everyone's doing well and that nobody is hurt. c:**

 **See you all next chapter. Love you guys, bye! c:**


	23. I'm Not Dealing With Their Games Anymore

**Day Four:**

* * *

 **Isha Levine, 18;**

 **District Two Female**

''You know, it's kinda fun,'' Hero chuckled. ''You and me, all alone in this Arena. Who knows what could happen? You think the Capitol's getting antsy?''

I stare up at Hero, smiling as he continues to go on and on about how fun it is spending time alone, together. He's such a bright and bubbly guy, it's almost hard to believe that he ended up volunteering for these Games before. It would be hard, seeing Hero kill, if he even has it in him – which I highly doubt, but still.

We've been trekking throughout the edges of this forest for quite some time now, and we still haven't found anyone. We've heard a couple of noises, but we always came to the conclusion that it was the Gamemakers playing tricks on us.

Pondering over Hero's question, I respond. ''No, I doubt they are. I mean, these past couple of days have been successful, so there's no reason for the Capitol to be growing impatient.''

'Yeah, I guess you're right!'' Hero exclaims, waving his hands up in the air, acting cheerful. But soon that cheerful manner of his disappears, his smile turning into a frown. ''You know, it's kinda sad. Those tributes who died these past couple of days, what do you think it would've been like if we got to know them?''

 _They'd just get in the way_ , is what I want to say, but I know Hero would just grow sad if that sentence escaped my lips. ''I guess they'd be a help. You, me, and a couple more tributes would grow to be great friends, maybe. But really, I don't know, you've been the only person to actually get me to speak, so I doubt they'd have as much of an effect one each other as we do being together.''

Hero smiles at me, laughing as he replays my words in his head. ''Well, I'm glad you think that, because I think the same thing.'' His words make me blush, but I quickly shake my head and giggle as we continue to walk.

A small groan escapes his lips as he stops moving, bending over and placing his hands on his knees. ''Hey, can we stop for a bit? We've been walking for an hour now, and I wouldn't mind taking a break, if that's okay with you?''

Smiling at him, I set down my equipment just as he does the same, and sit down on the grass as he drops to the floor. Tilting my head to the left, I stare at Hero as he looks up into the sky, dazing as the clouds go by – he's probably daydreaming with such a beautiful scenery above us.

I never thought I would admit it, but I've actually found someone who I can say I... love – and that's excluding Colette. By such a fortuitous chance, I've met someone who I can say makes me smile, turns my whole World around, makes my head spin – it's not too hard to figure out how I feel about Hero.

Staring up into the sky, I begin to lose myself – like everything else around me is completely disappearing. The sky is like a diamond filled with sparkles in it, the beautiful ribbons and different shades of blue giving me a beautiful feeling. The fluffy white clouds contrast it perfectly, and I just wanna reach my hand up there and snatch them away from the top, leaving it to be crystal clear.

''...This World is cruel.''

Something touches my hand, and despite feeling it, I'm not able to react to it as I usually would. Again, I feel it but don't bother to react. ''...Panem is cruel... They take everything away from us, and so do the Games...''

''Isha!'' Hero lets out a delirium that wakes me up, knocking me out of my thoughts. Quickly sitting up, I stare at him, our eyes meeting as he holds my hand. He massages it, continuing to stare straight into my eyes, and enraptures me – and I begin to blush, a warm feeling rushing to my cheeks. ''You okay?''

It's like I was back in my own little World again – this happened so many times in the Capitol, and now it's out here in the Arena. I need to stop doing that, it could end up killing me if I don't watch out. ''Yeah, I'm perfectly fine,'' I reassure, squeezing Hero's hand. ''I was just, um... I was just thinking to myself out loud, I'm sorry.''

''There's no need to apologize, I was just worried about you-''

 _Chime!_

The sound of a sponsor gift shakes Hero and I away from our moment, and we both stare up into the sky, watching as a bow that contains a quiver with ten arrows floats down right in front of us, a note attached to the back of it.

As the sponsor gift lands right in between Hero and I, he gives me a bright smile and nods, waiting for me to pick up the gift. I slowly crouch down, lifting up the quiver by the strap and measuring the bow in my hand – it's very lightweight, despite looking like something that would be way too heavy to lift.

The bow looks futuristic, like the surrounding edges of it are have a silver and exotic blue color. And instead of only being able to shoot one bow at a time, there's an extra patch that allows me to shoot two. This bow is definitely different from usual ones – they don't even have types like this back in Two. And instead of a single string, there are two that allow me to use much more force; to make it even better, there's a scope. Yes, a scope!

Staring at Hero, I can tell that the expression on my face must be priceless. He looks back down to the ground, where the note still lies, and gestures for me to check it out – he's curious, as you can tell. Picking it up and skimming through the note, the gaped whole in my mouth soon closes and my eyebrows raise.

 _You two are absolutely loved, I'll give you that, and the Capitol enjoys both of your presences. They don't want either of you two to die anytime soon, but sooner or later it's gonna have to end, and you know that. Now I'm not trying to tell you to kill him, but you're gonna have to split up, and maybe one of you will die in the process of it. This is just a small gift to keep you safe from the upcoming events. I'd suggest you detach yourself from him, just like you've done with everyone else in the Arena. Just be careful, okay? Oh, and get out of there, now!_

 _\- Griffon_

''Judging by the look on your face, I'm guessing we should probably get out of here?'' Hero coughs, picking up his equipment. He grabs his belt of knives and wraps them around his waist, along with flinging a bag over his shoulder.

''Um, it's not t-that, it's jus-''

''Come on, Isha, let's go.'' Hero exhorts, throwing me my own bag. I snatch it from the air and quickly put it on, looking out for what's to come. Griffon said get out of here now, what's that supposed to mean, besides the fact that something bad is about to happen? What are the Gamemakers planning? They surely wouldn't kill off two favorites before the final ten, would they?!

 _It's the Games, Panem is evil, of course they would_ , my mind tells me – and I really should know that by now, because they had no problem doing it before.

With his neat hair and a caring smile on his face, Hero looks even more debonair than he already is. He quickly approaches me, grabs me by my legs and lifts me up, then begins to run. I have no idea what set him off, whether it was the sound of mutts or not, but it must be serious because of how fast he's sprinting.

Sprinting away from the area we were currently in, I take in the surrounding. I don't know what it is or how he's doing it, but Hero's moving at a speed I've yet to see. _Maybe this was to get us to meet up with other tributes?_ I shake my head as Hero sprints through the bamboo-brown forest that looks like a leafy paradise. The ancient trees that we make our way past stretch away from the crinkly floor, leaving much space for us to get past.

The grasses Hero stepped on were crackly beneath his feet, and the look on his face when we entered an area filled with majestic and mighty trees almost seeped the life out of me. Their knotted arms rose ever upwards, as far as my head could lift. The trees stood proudly, and an orchestra of birdsong began.

A group of jays all appeared at the top of the canopy of the trees, their cruel, corvid eyes staring straight at us – like they're trying to size us up. The birdsong finally stopped, and all the jays slowly backed away. As soon as they did that, the morning stars begin to come out, telling us that something's coming. They seeped down on us like asters, glinting and shimmering.

Because of the sky, we could see the wild basil growing freely on the clumpy, mossy mattress on the floor. ''When did this all change?!'' The simpering wind carried the disgusting smell with it as it blew, wiping it across our faces.

But before anything even happened, we heard the sound of a snuffling boar eating under the combs of furry moss – to be exact, since the boar is in plain sight, it's eating scurrying squirrels that are searching for food. A squeak is about to escape my lips, but Hero quickly holds my mouth shut, a reassuring smile on his face.

We slowly back up as Hero continues to hold me, but instead of escaping, Hero trips over the bristles of wispy moss. The boar quickly turns around, but instead of attacking, it duplicates itself – now there are five boars. My eyes begin to travel as they continue to duplicate. Six, seven, eight, nine...

Hero's hand squeezes my shoulder tightly, a glint in his eyes. ''We can survive this, I know we can.'' And with that, he leans over and kisses my cheek, pulling out a knife from his belt.

* * *

 **Eudora Bayard, 17;**

 **District Seven Female**

I can't do this anymore.

These Games are hell. I've been starving for about two days now, with absolutely nothing to eat. Well, not nothing, but it's very limited. The apples and oranges that I initially had are all gone, all eaten – all somewhere in my stomach because of how hungry I was.

Ha, thinking about it makes me even more hungry. I also had three bags of trail mix in my backpack, but two bags are eaten, and the third bag has barely anything left inside. How am I supposed to live off of this? The worst part about this whole thing is that I'm lost.

Yes, _lost_.

I regret the path that I chose to take, because it ended up with me being in this dark cave. Where I traveled, the snow soon disappeared and I entered this bright, sunny area with grass and a beautiful field of flowers. There were flowers and innocent-looking mutts, but all of that was a decoy – I should've known that the Capitol would play me like that.

They led me to a group of hills, and sooner or later I reached these caves. I was scared for my life, so can you blame me for running away? Ending up in these caves really put a toll on me, losing my way took a toll on me, discovering an area of nothing but pure _darkness_ put a toll on me.

Do you know what it's like, being trapped in a cave that has little to no light in it, and you can't even tell where you're going? – I might as well close my eyes and begin walking again, because there would be no difference whatsoever!

So, now, I'm just sitting here, brushing my head against the rough, crusty walls of this cave. The darkness enveloped me in a never-ending fortress of mist. My breathing begins to slow down and become more difficult as I take in the musty, stale, humid air.

My hair is brushed against my face, and some of it is getting into my mouth – but I don't have the strength in me to spit it out. I feel tired, like I can't do anything. There's a tingle in my body, but I just can't move no matter how hard I try. My body is just too numb, there's no way that I can bring myself to doing anything.

Grunting and breathing roughly, I just let go of everything and lie down on my side. I, somehow, move my hands around, feeling the surface. Once my hands reach the edge of the ground, I begin to pull myself forward, my chin hanging off of a cliff-like area. My eyes widen when I soon realize how much on thin ice I am.

One wrong move and I could end up plummeting to my death, especially if I don't move and the Gamemakers decide to make this surface crumble. Not wanting to give up, I begin to push myself back. Anything could happen, and I swear I'm the only person in these caves – or anywhere around this area of the Arena, to be honest.

I hate this, I really do.

 _Chime!_

W-What was that? Was that a sponsor gift I just heard? – no, it couldn't of been, my mind is probably just playing tricks on me. I've yet to receive a sponsor gift, so why would anyone send one now? The Gamemakers, they're trying to confuse me; trying to make me get up and run off the edge to my death.

They can try whatever they want, although I'm not going to let them get the best of me. ''You guys can try, but I'm not falling for your tricks!'' I shout into the air, an exhausted gasp leaving my mouth. That's when I realized that I was wrong, though. They weren't trying to kill me, I actually did get a sponsor gift.

From the corner of my eye I can see a glowing light – a light way too bright for me to handle. Seeing this, I try – I really do – to crawl towards the illuminated substance. When I get there, surprisingly, I pick it up, struggling to keep it balanced in my hand. The light shines right into my face, blinding me for a second until it egresses the area around me.

As the cave becomes visible, I hear a soft dripping noise as dew slides off the rocks, sounding like a heartbeat.

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._

As I hold the item up, I begin to trace the outline of it – and by the feeling, because of how well I recognize the touch, I can confirm this to be a dagger. No, not a regular dagger, but a curved dagger. It's easy and smooth against my hand, and I've even gotten used to the light. _Maybe I could use this against anything that tries to attack me..._

Holding the dagger in the air, I realize that there was a note attached to it.

 _Watch out!_

 _\- Chantell._

Watch out..? What does she mean by that. The light from the dagger begins to shine brighter, and as I look up I notice spires of rock hanging from the ceiling and standing erect on the floor. To make it even more creepy, I hear squeaks and the sound of flapping wings; the sounds send shivers running down my spine.

Finally standing up, I begin to walk, trembling as I can actually see where I'm going. _It would've been better if I died without seeing my killer..._ My footsteps send an echo through the open space; and this is probably because of the cave having a wide space to it.

 _Squeak!_

There it goes again! ''Crap, crap, crap..!'' I mutt under my breath, frantically looking around. As soon as I turn around, I see them – the movement of at least one hundred tiny bats flying towards me. Bracing myself for the impact, because I have no more strength, I wait for them to attack – but they only fly above me.

As I realize they aren't come after me – not yet, anyway – I begin to slowly, but surely, run away, my tired body giving me little to no help. My foot suddenly catches a rock and with a small shriek I fall to the floor, my hands landing on a slippery substance worn away by the water rushing through the cavern.

''What the..?'' I say, trying to pull my hand away from the water, but it sticks, continuing to pull my hand back down. ''W-What is this..?!'' _This isn't water,_ I realize. But, man oh, man, it's too late to do anything about it now – in front of me stands a large bat with the body of a human mixed with an enhanced tiger-like creature.

It stands tall, at least twelve feet, and has fur running all over its body. The creatures ears stretch up to the air, somewhere towards the middle of its large wings that create rough winds. It has at least eight eyes, giving me the tingly feeling of a spider hybrid, something of the sort. Staring at it just gives me the terrible feeling of a human mutation, like maybe this could be one of the dead tributes...

Its sharp teeth contain blood to them, a flesh of skin actually hanging from it as it bleeds out. The claws this thing has are at least the length of my forearm, and in its wings are all of the bats that I saw before – every single one of them, all staring at me with their bloodshot eyes, their horribly sharp teeth, intimidating claws.

And without a warning the bat starts flapping its wings and slaps my right in the face, the tough wind actually cutting into my skin. _This isn't normal, this isn't fair, this isn't right..!_ It's a huge struggle for me, defending myself against this creature.

My head smacks against a tough rock and I can feel the blood dripping from my head. I place my hand on the back, where I believe the cut is, and rub it, slowly taking in all the pain. My eyes squint shut, a small squeal escaping my lips as I wait for death. It's just too much for me to do, moving isn't an option, and I would rather die quickly rather than have it dragged out – but knowing the Capitol, this is gonna be painful.

 _I thought you said you weren't gonna die as lame as you did last time. Remember, when you stood there, frozen. That's no different from now. You're just sitting here, waiting for that muttation to attack and kill you! Get up and survive!_

My eyes shoot open as soon as my mind breaks the hard truth to me, letting me know that I haven't done much in these Games. For all that's true, I really am just waiting for death to occur. This is lame, and I don't wanna die in a _lame_ way – I don't want to die, period.

Slapping some sense into myself and spitting out the disgusting taste in my mouth, I patiently wait for the mutt to come charging at me – and like it does before it always attacks, it lets out a deafening shriek, then begins to flap its wings and rush over.

Wait for it...

It's only about twenty feet in front of me now.

Wait for it...

Ten feet now, and it's getting closer and closer by the second.

 _Now!_

Right as the mutt lands in front of me, I push myself out of the way and watch its head collides straight into the wall that left a large bump in my head. The mutt shouts out in pain, bringing its hand up towards its face as it tries to cover itself. Before it can even gasp, I bring up my curved dagger up and stab it straight through the hands, piercing its face and watch as the gruesome eyeballs plop out of their sockets and land on the floor, blood splattering everywhere.

The muttation cries out, giving me a sensational feeling of pleasure as I do what I know is best – stab it straight in the chest. Repeatedly, I bring my knife in and out of the mutt, leaving a deep gash that will surely kill it.

The mutt – now almost dead – flaps its wings one more time, smacking me straight in the face and cutting into my neck just a bit. The force of its wings sends me flying, the dagger still in my hands as I try to stab it into the ground to put a halt to my flight.

Instead of stopping, though, I land on the rough ground, cracking it immediately. The surface that I was on goes crashing down, and after thirty seconds I still haven't hit the floor. Bracing myself for impact, I realize that it never comes. I'm still in the air, still falling, still waiting for my death to occur but nothing happens.

When I least expect it, though, I hit the ground full force, but luckily for me I was comforted by a pile of rocks that cushioned my fall – but I still received multiple cuts, only I'm not dead. _Yet._

As I rub my head I realize that I'm in a whole new different part of the Arena. This area is covered with nothing but piles of rocks and flowers, a hint of snow on each of them. The walls are crusty and they look like they'll crack any moment now, and to the far right is a small entree – and it might lead me to my freedom. Not from the Games, of course, but definitely from this terrible cavern.

With my dagger clutched tightly in my hands, and the rest of my equipment somewhere far stretched hundreds of feet up on the top of the surface, I begin running, using every ounce of my body to make it through the small entree hole of a new area, a new surrounding, a new environment!

Only I wish I didn't enter here.

Waiting for me, a saber-tooth begins approaching, it's sharp teeth making me lose all hope of survival. _Maybe I just wasn't cut out for this, maybe trying to survive was the wrong thing to do. Maybe I should've died a long time ago, because I'm just suffering now._

Rain begins to pour, and as I look up I realize that there are multiple items sticking out of the wall, which will allow me to climb up to the top. Huh, maybe I don't have to give up after all. Turning back to the saber-tooth, I watch as it slowly inches towards me, circling my entire body as we make eye-contact throughout this entire process.

A snarl escapes its mouth, and I know that the Gamemakers are enjoying this moment – watching me struggle, watching me give up, but they're not gonna get me to lie down and die, despite all of my negative thoughts. And to that, I only have one thing to say:

''Bite me.''

* * *

 **Domino Reath, 17;**

 **District Four Male**

''Isha and Asyrin are both gonna get it!''

Enigma was the only thing keeping me sane in this damn Arena, the only person I actually cared about. And now what? She's dead. _DEAD!_

Dead because of some stupid girl from Two, and now she isn't dead because her stupid partner pushed me away! This might've been days ago, but you can never forget when your lover dies – when the only person you can say you truly cared for in this Arena, the one person who was there with you through thin and thick every damn day, is dead!

And because of who?

My own damn allies, of course!

I should've seen this coming, though... They always hated her, they never wanted her in the alliance to begin with! With all of my big-talk, telling Asyrin that I could easily beat him and that anything he could do I could do ten times better was just all so stupid and useless! Why talk if I can't even back it up?!

I could have avenged her! I could have jumped in front of her; I could stopped Asyrin from grabbing her in the first place. As she was yelling, as she was struggling, kicking, scratching, and biting, doing her best to remove Asyrin's tough grip, I just stood there and watched as everything unfolded right in front of my eyes.

What type of person am I? – a horrible, lying, useless lover who couldn't even protect the one most dearest to him. ''I HATE IT!'' I yell into the air, punching my fist straight into the trunk of a tree. Despite my fists hurting, despite them bleeding and swelling up, I continue to pound; every hit reduces the anger and stress that I'm feeling.

Finally not being able to take it anymore, my arms begin to feel weak, my fists begin to hurt, and my body just drops to the ground, tears rushing out of my eyes. I forcefully swing my arms up, covering my face so that the Capitol doesn't see me crying – what would they think of a solo Career going out in the Arena crying?

 _You'd never get any sponsors or respect from them ever again. You'd just be a target, someone that they want dead for being so weak and useless. You would no longer be a favorite, just a coward, a loser; another tribute who they'll soon forget again, just like Enigma..._

''AAHH!'' I flail, elbowing my arm into the blanket of grass that surrounds me. ''I HATE THIS SO MUCH! FUCK YOU, ASYRIN, I HATE YOU SO MUCH, YOU SICK, TWISTED BASTARD!''

Picking myself up, I wipe away all of my tears and begin thinking about the events that played out. If it weren't for Asyrin, Enigma wouldn't be dead; Isha would've never shot her arrow, and we could've still been an alliance – a broken alliance, sure, but at least we could've been somewhat functional and done it the proper way!

Seems as if we had an early Career Bloodbath, wouldn't you say? Chuckling to myself as I stare up, the trees blocking my view of the sky, I let out a faint whisper. ''All of you, sick bastards. Heh, I hate you all so damn much.''

Slinging my bag across my shoulder, I begin to walk, only a small knife in my hand. I lost my nunchuks a couple of days ago to a mutt attack, and that mutt lost its life. If only it was another tribute, specifically Asyrin. After him, I'll hunt down Isha, then Hero, and then...

...Well, I'll just make my way to Victory. Who's gonna stop me then? If I'm able to kill those three – the big threats, excluding Hero – I'm home free. There's no one in this Arena who comes anywhere close to me; Asyrin may be strong, but he's just crazy, not skilled. Isha's too worked up on loving Hero that she won't even notice someone approaching her and stabbing her right in the back.

Hell, I'm surprised I haven't even seen her face in the sky yet. If I was in Hero's position, being alone with Isha, I'd surely kill her off then and there – kill her off for killing Enigma, for playing through Asyrin's game... for taking my loved one away. What'll she think when I kill Hero?! Huh, when I stab her in the back and paralyze her, forcing her to watch as I slowly torture Hero.

My knife outlining his jaw, the glistening red substance slowly but surely escaping as his face is ripped apart. Then, when he's completely tired and out of it, I'll kick his face in and repeatedly stab him in his neck – even after his cannon booms, I'll do it just to force her to go through the same pain I went through.

Oh, but trust me, her death will be much more painful, much worse. The iniquitous acts that I'll make them all go through, it'll all be so satisfying. Watching them all cower in fear, sob for help, beg for mercy. I just...

I need to find a way to get my mind off of things. If I don't, I'll just end up being languish for the rest of the day – and I don't want that. So, as I continue to move, not wanting to displease the fucking Capitol, I look for any sign of another tribute; anyone that I can kill, just to take my mind off of these hideous thoughts.

Someone deserves it. If anything, I'm helping bring their suffering to an end. Who would you rather have kill you anyway: the best tribute in these Games or some irrelevant pieces of shit that would drag it out for you?

I know for a fact that's what _he_ would've done. He would've slammed her face into the trees, forced her to cry, slowly slit her throat, decapitate her limp body in front of me, then chuckle as he would've stomped on her dead, lifeless corpse while I stood in the background, frozen and unable to do a damn thing about it.

I want to kill him so bad. _So, so, so, so bad._ Seeing him cry, seeing him yell in fear, seeing as he clung to the ground, trying to escape his inevitable death. Well, it's too bad for Asyrin, because I'm coming for him. And when I get my hands around his throat, I'm gonna-!

''...W-What was that?''

Turning around, I listen to the sound of leaves crunching in the ground – the sound of footsteps stomping on them as they run away, the sound of tributes.

 _Tributes. Asyrin. Isha._

''Come on out!'' I yell into the air, waiting for a response as the footsteps just grow quieter. They ran away, didn't they? ''What else can I expect from the group of tributes we have here? All of you are cowards! You just run away and won't accept the fact that you're not winning this thing!''

 _She_ was supposed to win it... It just makes me angry how everyone responded to the whole event. Asyrin was pissed he didn't kill her, Isha sighed like she was relieved, Hero and Seraphina were shocked. ''All of them... Every single on of those... They're all... Agh!''

What do you even call people like that? Sighing, I try to clear my mind off of things and continue walking. The incense of the trees blocking my view of the sky looked like they were here for centuries – like this Arena is old as balls. But it's not, and I already know that that damn Gamemaker has something planned for me.

They're probably watching me closely now, seeing as I just let out multiple outbursts. Whatever it is, whoever it is, I'll be ready for them. Despite me only having a weak knife, I'll be able to do much damage with it. I'll kill them, get over it, then go out and kill more tributes – that's the game plan.

Every sprawling tree I passed by reminded me of a watchful guardian, like Enigma's looking down on me and guiding me to a safe path right now. I decided to venture deeper into the heart of this bullshit primeval forest. The deeper I went into it the more mystical and spellbinding it became. Huge roots spread through the ground and the foliage became thick and lush, forming an arch of lush green above my head.

Thinking that I wouldn't see the sky anytime soon, I arrived at a wide glade, where the trees fell, revealing the bespeckled sky. I didn't even notice that the sun was going down already, showing us the glinting stars that looked like silver pin pricks, luminous and bright. An ore gold moon hung quietly in the distance, casting a honeyed sheen over the trees.

The peaceful look of the moon made me want to sit my back against a lightning blasted tree trunk and watch it fade away – and that's exactly what I'm doing now. As if on cue with the beautiful moon, a group of jays came jumping out of their hiding spots. One of the jays began singing, the sound of the solitary songbird making me feel at ease.

Then, as if it couldn't get any better, the song was soon joined by the bird's companions, creating a symphony of song. The heart haunting melody just made me feel relaxed, it was basically an elixir for the soul. Something I could cherish, something I could hold onto tightly. Like Enigma's soul was with me, wrapped around my body in a tight hug, her head leaning against my chest like we usually would have been positioned.

I feel as though the sweet fragrance of this part of the forest – since all the other parts smell like ass and moss – washed over me and I was seduced by its comforting goodness. ''Why can't everyday be like this? Just peace and comfort, nothing terrible. No disasters, no loss, no hurt. Just peace.''

When the birdsong stopped, I looked up to see what was going on.

And to my luck, the birds just stared at me, wide eyed and nothing but a small chirp escaping each and every one of their lips. This was obviously meant to be intimidating, to get me to go do something, but the Gamemakers can honestly kiss my ass on this one. I'm not doing shit for them.

Eyeing the birds, I notice a shining light to my right. It's a water source – the same water source that I found two days ago. I swear that I've passed this area before, and that I made my way a mile or two ahead of it. I never turned back, there's no way in hell that this could be the same source.

Unless...

''No way!'' I jump up, grabbing my knife as the birds become startled. ''Oh, did I galvanize you?'' I ask, twisting the knife in my hands as I watch the birds stand still. Quickly tossing it up, my knife goes hurdling and lands into the closest one's stomach, knocking it off the tree as the others fly away.

Maybe I'm going crazy, maybe I'm losing my mind, but whatever I do next is for the best, and I know that. Jogging over to the area that the bird landed, I pick it up and squeeze it tightly, watching as its eyes pop out of the sockets. The knife, I rip that out, and stare straight at it.

This bird is most likely a camera of some sort. I heard rumors in the Capitol before, that one day when there was an after-party, that some mutts were actually cameras themselves. So that could mean I'm staring right into the eyes of the Capitol, right? _Right._

''Watch as I torment your leading killers. And don't worry, I'll give you a show you'll all remember.'' Once I finish my sentence I chuck the bird into the lake that I've passed before, watching as it sinks like a broken ship deep into the water. ''I'm winning this thing. And whatever it takes to get out, I'll do it. I'll rip every last throat in this Arena if I have to.''

Turning to my left to enter an unknown part of the Arena, I stop when I hear the sound of voices.

''Dammit, I hate it in here! Why is it always me?!'' I spot four different shadows. There are two people running; the two figures look to be a small girl of the sort, and another one being a tall, masculine male with two weapons. The other two are together, but they're both running away from something.

From the looks of it, the boy and the girl seem to be partners. Now, the only partners I know that are boy and girl are either Hero and Isha, or the boy from Five and the girl from Twelve, but they didn't run towards the forest part of the Arena; they took a different exit and were never seen again. So that's settled.

The girl who was by herself, however, I don't know. It can't be Seraphina, she's dead. There are many girls still alive, I just don't know who they all are, though. Sooner or later I'll encounter her, and I'll end her life.

Now, for the last one. There aren't many tall, masculine tributes in these Games – me and Asyrin are the only ones, to be honest. Orion is short and doesn't pop out much, Hero is tall and has lean muscle, but it's not like that statue's over there.

All the other guys either have allies or are in a different part of the Arena, which means...

That's the person I've been looking for. It's been a couple of days, but I can finally get my revenge, Asyrin...

* * *

 **Candice Davenport, 18;**

 **District Eight Female**

''Why are you so ignorant? Just turn back. Don't you get it? They don't want you going over there!''

''I know that,'' I crouch down, lifting up the furry face of the bloodied snow leopard. ''That's exactly why I'm going. I don't listen to anybody besides one man, and I bet you all know that. Now, please, if you don't mind, I've got something to do.''

With that, I pierce my sword right through the snow leopard's face, drawing blood instantly and watching as its body goes limp. The blood pools around its body in the snow, making it warm and more mushy than it already was.

Turning around, I look at the blood I've tracked. Every time I were to walk further and further north, they would send some type of mutt at me – it was always futile, though, as you can see that by me still being alive. And I'll continue to be alive until... well, until I feel like I don't want to live anymore – and nobody can say a damn thing about that.

''Well, nobody besides one man,'' I chuckle to myself.

The blood that I've collected from these past days will all be beneficial when I decide to use my spells on a couple of tributes. That's whenever the Feast occurs, though. I've yet to actually try them out, since last time I was beheaded because of that – but I won't make that same mistake twice.

My feet stomp against the mushy snow, playing with it as the blood seeps from the deep gash in the mutt's head. A wholehearted laugh escapes my lips as I remember the past occurrences I've had with mutts. Oh, how desperate the Capitol is to try and turn me around. They're nothing more than weak little pawns that I'll use for my sacrifice when I get out of here.

 _When you do, I'll be even more proud of you. You've made me happy over these past few days, but I'm becoming bored. All you do is slay mutts, give me a tribute's soul to feast on._

''Will do, Master.''

 _Ahahahaha, good girl. Now, teach them a lesson or two whenever you get the chance. But it might be wise to turn back, there's yet to be a tribute who's taken the same route as you._

''I guess I should turn back, shouldn't I?'' I yell aloud, waiting for something, anything to make movement. Satan's getting impatient, and if I don't give him something worthy soon, it might not be good for me. ''Instead of trying to send me back, why don't you send a tribute _towards_ me?!''

Dropping my sword, I stick both of my middle fingers up into the air, sticking my tongue out as I hear the zooming of cameras. They're obviously not enjoying this, but I couldn't care less. What the Capitol wants isn't what I want, and I get what I want.

No matter what.

Instead of starting to move again, I silently sit down and wait – wait for whatever is about to happen. Either they send a tribute coming my way so that I can slay them for Lord Satan, they send mutts after me in order to provide ''entertainment'', or I simply sit here and wait all day.

It's been at least twenty minutes now and nothing's happened. Not one interesting thing, and I just don't have the patience for it anymore. ''What are you waiting for?! I don't see any tributes around here, what's wrong with you?!''

The only thing that occurs when I say that is that the snow begins to descend quicker and heavier. There are no clouds in the sky, and there's a light gray, depressing color to its hue. I can't stand this anymore, I need to do something to get my mind off of things.

Maybe moving will get their attention...

It never hurts to try, now does it? ''Nope,'' I call out, answering my own question. ''Since you guys aren't doing anything, I might as well force you to, right? It's worth a try, and I'm willing to try.''

As I say that, they begin to react. They're scared, I see. Whatever is over there – which I believe is a Sphinx, from what they've said thousands of times before – it's gotta be important. Just knowing that makes me so excited to go see it, especially because Satan does, too.

If I'm able to please him then that's all that counts. Besides that, nobody else is important to me besides myself. He comes first beyond everyone, not even my family stands a chance against him. But it's not like I even care for my family.

Stabbing that snow leopard just then reminded me of the time I killed my own dad that one day. Oh, the way he crumbled to the floor, the rise and fall of his chest, his final breath. The look on his eyes were priceless! If I could, I'd repeat that moment everyday for the rest of my life.

That was the first life I took – and trust me, there's so much more to take. As soon as I get my hands on a couple of tributes, I'm killing them with a murderous intent. It's what Satan wants, and what he asks for goes.

Anyone who says anything against it gets cut down. There's no if, ands, or buts – you either die because you don't worship the one sole ruler of this World, or you follow his leadership and enter a World that will soon be created after I win these Games.

All the joyful things we'll do together. Panem will stand scared against the leadership of Satan. Only those who convert themselves into Satanism will understand what I mean, and when they do, they'll understand that life isn't what it seems. You can't have fun in this World unless you take his hands and let him guide you the right way.

I've done that already, and look where I am. Who would've thought I'd be brought back to life, but because of him I was. After my thoughts, I turn my attention back to the mutts that circle me. Two more snow leopards appear, almost like the Capitol thinks they'll actually stand a challenge against me.

Slowly closing my eyes, I mumble a quick prayer – one that'll ensure I get blood splattered everywhere. And as I open my eyes, my sword decapitates the first snow leopard, leaving the second one shocked and stunned for a second or two. It shakes itself out of that state and charges at me, growling as the saliva flies out of its mouth.

When it reaches me I grab it by its snout and push it to the ground. It drops to the floor and I take the chance to torture it. I don't want this mutt to have the easy way out. If it did, that wouldn't please anyone – especially not Satan.

Repeatedly stomping on the mutt's head, I twist and turn my foot, making sure that it digs deeper and deeper into the foul creatures mouth. _Torture it well! Give it pain, make sure they see just how deadly you can be! Give them hell, and bring them to me!_

The mutt continues to bleed out and tries to escape but my clutch is tight on it. There's nothing the Capitol can do against me now. They've sent everything at me – and none of it worked.

Does that not say anything?

Eventually the mutt dies, but not before I'm able to stab it six times. My sword goes straight through its stomach and out, only to leave a gash in the shape of an upside-down cross. Now, I can already hear the gasps of the viewers watching. What really fills my curiosity is knowing what my mentors think about this.

Their reactions would be priceless...

I tilt my head back down to the mutt, slowly raising my head up, and stab the lifeless body of the mutt over and over again. The blood that continues to sputter is soon collected and placed into my backpack. I dump everything out, including the food and water.

Using my foot to draw a pentagram, I begin to pray again, making sure that I've pleased my Lord. Just as soon as I'm about to finish I hear a noise.

''Again?!''

Staring out in the open, thinking that this is gonna be an easy fight again, I realize that I was wrong. Approaching me are at least forty-five mutts that seem to be more ferocious than all the other ones I've seen before. They're three times larger than the original ones, and a lot more deadly.

''What are you gonna do now?'' They all ask at the same time. My eyes widen at this sight – this disturbing sight.

 _Don't be scared. Show these idiots that you're not a pushover. Deal with them accordingly, Candice. Don't you dare upset me._

''Oh, trust me. I would never.''

* * *

 **No Deaths.**

* * *

 **A/N: Heyy! So here's another update, ugh! I've been so lazy with this story, I barely ever write this anymore if I'm telling you guys the truth. I don't even know how I bring myself to even getting three POVs written. I've been up ever since 9AM and it's currently 9:36PM xD Yeah, I really can't do this crap, but I try! For you guys, that is. So first of all, this chapter was shit! In the beginning, during Isha's POV, I felt so rusty and had NO idea what I was typing, but then I started getting the hang of it and got happy. Then I took a break after Domino's POV and lost all surge of... whatever the hell you call it, inspiration, I think.**

 **But maybe this'll get better. I mean, there's gonna be a death every chapter now, so this sounds like a good thing to me, at least. I think I'll be able to actually get myself through this crap and actually finish this story XD After all my calculations, I'm ending this chapter at 29 exactly. Great goal, right? Just before 30! Hell yeah ;D So only six more chapters to go. Six annoying, excruciating more chapters that'll make me rip my curly hair out. But that doesn't matter, as long as you guys enjoy it, I do :D**

 **So there's a new poll up. This'll be the last poll of SC, and I just wanna know your opinions. It's just who you think will win SC. I don't think any of you know, and if you do, fuck off. So, anyway, I don't even know what to say about this chapter o_o I think, um, it was pretty descriptive? Well, towards the beginning. I felt hype about it as I was rereading. I was like, ''Okay, okay, okay!'' And then I grabbed two mechanical pencils as I started making beats on my desk and nodded my head as I vibed, ha ha. So story time?**

 **Alright, alright... So, me being stupid and junk, my friend and I were walking him from school the other day, right? Yeah, so when we got to our neighbor, which was like four miles away, we saw this one kid that we knew. Now this kid was weird as hell o.o Like, I was cool with him at first but then he just became all weird and crap. Every time we got closer he kept staring at me, and I was like, twitching and shit. Then I looked at him and he stared at me, smiling, so then I got scared. His hands were behind his back and I thought he was gonna pull out a gun or something. ;o Surprisingly that isn't new.**

 **But then I started running, and as I started running I almost get hit by a car XD I'm not even surprised that this happened, because I'm so used to getting hit or almost hit by cars. But yeah, I ran through past his neighbor's driveway and it was this elderly man driving, and he was searching for something by the movement of his hand and didn't see me. And you know when you're in a tough obstacle and you see something coming at you and you just don't have time to react?! Ha ha, yeah! :D**

 **So then I used my fucking magical powers and like, I punched that car. Then it like, flew over to Antarctica and I was like, ''Oh, damn.'' o_o AND THEN, AFTER THAT, WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT ROBBERIES AND THEN WE REMEMBERED THIS ONE KID WHO LIVED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOW RICH HE WAS, BUT THE KID WAS A COMPLETE DOUCHE AND I HATED HIM AND WANTED TO THROW A BALL AT HIS FACE AND FORCE HIM TO EAT A NUTSACK!**

 **But then we planned on robbing this kid XD And I don't even know, I just... I was down for it, because I just didn't like this kid. Had it been anyone else I would've declined the offer, but nah, this kid deserved it. Just to get things clear, this is not confirming that I'm a thief, I only take things that people do not notice... I need help ;-; So he like, never leaves his house door shut, so my friend Karl and I walked straight in and... Ha ha, holy shit... The kid was home alone, butt naked XD Luckily he was turned around, so yeah. But he was holding his dog or something, and he was whispering, ''Aw, who's a cutie. Yeah, you are. You like licking, don't you?''**

 **And then the door creaked open and he shot his head to the left and stared over his shoulder. His dog started barking and I got so scared, holy God. So I ran out of the home, right? And then all I hear his laughter as my friend runs after me and I'm like, ''No, no, no, this kid is weirdddddddddddddddd!'' Ha ha, yeah... Good times... No homo, though. QUESTIONS!**

* * *

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite POV?**

 **Predictions on who you think will die next?  
I'm just curious but who do you think will make the finale? (3 tributes)**

 **Who do you think will win SC?**

 **Is it bad to steal o.o Like, when you... When nobody's watching, and it just... Like, nobody notices? Is that... Is that bad? o_o I don't know if that's bad or not. I have bad morals ;-;**

 **What'd you guys think of the cliffhangers?**

* * *

 **Alright, well yeah! Anyway, this chapter was shorter than it was supposed to be. I just couldn't bring myself to finishing this completely... I had a headache while doing this crap, and I just didn't want to anymore. Hopefully the next chapter is out quicker, but if it's not, can you blame me? XD Oh, and I forgot to say, but Happy Valentine's Day to you all. I hope you have or had a spectacular day with your lover, family, friends, etc. And if you were alone all day, it's okay. Happy Alentine's Ay for my fellow singles who didn't get the V or the D today. We can all watch Netflix and eat pizza together :') Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Love you guys, bye! ^-^**


	24. Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

**Day Five:**

* * *

 **Sashen Baize, 16;**

 **District Twelve Female**

It hurts so, so much.

There's a pain surging throughout my body, and down to my ankle is a large, disgusting, purple bruise that continues to bulge. It's disgusting, terrifying, and I'm freaking out on the inside, but I don't want to show Levi that I'm scared – if I do, he'll most likely feel the same way and end up hurting, crying.

Levi's been calm and quiet for the past day and a half, and I just don't know what's wrong with him. It's probably the Games; it wouldn't be that shocking if it was, seeing as they've hurt everyone in one way or another. Despite not experiencing as much pain as he has, I can tell that it's messing him up.

Especially on the inside.

We've currently resigned in one of the largest sand dunes out here. To be honest, though, I wouldnt have preferred here – this just leaves us as an open target if something or _someone_ were to find us. And if that were the case, the odds definitely wouldn't be in our favor. I mean, just look at us: Levi's in emotional torment, and I can barely stand up.

There's absolutely no way we'd be able to defend ourselves, but if it comes down to it I'll definitely protect Levi. No matter what, this ankle won't hold me back from saving someone I see so much in. It might be the death of me, or even the death of someone else, but it's worth it if I'm able to save someone special to me.

Forcing myself to stand up, despite all of the pain in my ankle and the feeling of sharp knives entering my leg, I begin to walk over to Levi, making sure that I have our equipment ready in hand. Just in case anything happens, because I doubt that the voices of the tributes that we heard a couple days ago are gone, we need to be able to either make an escape or have something to back us up.

Even if it comes down to it, I'll burn down this entire area just to make sure that Levi's safe. As long as he's happy, I'm happy; if he's breathing, I'm breathing; and if he succeeds, I succeed. As I finally make my way towards Levi, I place my hand on his shoulder, shocking him out of his frozen state.

''L-Levi,'' I grunt, trying to control the pain I'm feeling in my ankle. _It hurts so so so so so so much._ ''Honey, are you okay? P-Please, Levi, d-don't be quiet and d-distant. T-Tell me w-what's w-wrong, I want to help. Y-You've been... different...''

''S-Sashen, is t-that you?'' He asks, violently shaking as I try to comfort him. I do my best to calm him down by rubbing his shoulders and just embracing him in general, but nothing seems to be working. So, instead of continuing, I slowly crouch down and get myself into a crisscross position as I sit down on the floor. ''I can't see you!''

''That's because your eyes are closed, sweetie,'' I chuckle, trying my hardest to not show any form of discomfort. ''Come on, now open your eyes slowly and look at me. You can do it, Levi, I know you can.''

Doing my best to abet Levi, I slowly lift his eyelids open. He blinks twice, his eyes bloodshot and the look on his face just shows you that he's had literally no sleep at all. I'm scared for him, I truly am. This is just terrible, seeing someone in a state like this. ''Levi, we need to, um, we need to start moving agai-''

''But why, Sashen?''

His reply caught me off guard, seeing as it was way too quick for me to register properly. I heard 'why', but I'm not sure if that's what he asked. Either way, I'll answer him as well as I can, despite it not being what he wants or doesn't want to hear. ''You know it's bad to stay in one position for a day without moving. They're gonna send something after us soon, and when they do we won't be prepared...''

''But if they were to s-send something after u-us, don't you think they would've done it... a-already..? I-I mean,'' Levi fidgets uncontrollably. ''T-They would've done it already, r-right? O-Or maybe th-they're sending p-people after u-us...''

After this he begins to wallow on the floor in sorrow, like he's completely given up on these Games; like he's just waiting for his death to arrive. These Games have seriously messed him up – and I'm not saying they haven't screwed me up in my own ways, but not as bad as this. I've never seen someone so tormented in my life before. This is just...

''...Terrible.''

''God, what is wrong with you people?!'' I decry out into the air, speaking to the Capitol. I don't even need to mention that, though, because they already know how I'm feeling. The only thing is that I've never been open about it, but sometimes things that you're holding back in your mind need to be said. ''Why do you do things like this?!''

As soon as I'm about to yell something else out, two voices interrupt me. ''Agh, get this thing off of me!'' One of them yells, and that's when I feel my heart beat right against my chest. ''What the hell, it just clawed at me! Kill it!

That's when I hear a large crunch sound, and I'm sort of scared for my life now. Levi's still on the floor, the two voices appear to be growing closer and closer to us, and my ankle is still burning with pain! Doing my best to try something, anything, I lie on the floor and begin speaking to Levi.

''Hey, Levi,'' I whisper, softly punching his shoulder. ''Let's have a little friendly competition, okay?''

''Okay...'' Levi mumbles, his voice barely audible. ''What are we gonna do.?''

Staring at Levi, I realize just how messed up and sick he looks. This is just evil. Plain and other evil. ''I bet you I can roll around and wallow in the sand better than you can!'' This catches his attention, and he motions for me to continue, but it doesn't seem like he's actually moving himself – more like something's moving him.

Either way, I'd rather make it out of here unharmed and with a broken Levi rather than with no Levi at all. ''You ready?'' I ask in a playful tone. He smiles weakly and then nods his head, telling me that it's alright to begin. ''Wait, but before we start, here are the rules: as soon as you finish rolling around, you have to get up and begin running out of the dune and follow me, okay?''

Without a word, Levi begins rolling before me – and to be honest, this is kind of fun, despite our lives being at stake here. As soon as Levi and I reach a steep area that we can't roll up onto, we both glance at each other and smile. _Looks like he's getting back to normal..._

Levi's already up on top of the dune before I am, even though I _love_ a good competition. But can you really blame me for losing? I mean, my ankle is infected with something, and I have all this equipment on my ba-

''THE EQUIPMENT!'' I yell out way too loudly, and that's when I see Levi's face freeze. He stares out past me, somewhere in the distance of the sandy opening that we made our way through, and doesn't move. See, I would be normal in a situation like this if I didn't hear _two_ voices, but I can't be at a time like this because nothing good is gonna happen from this point on – nothing in the Hunger Games ever is.

Pushing through the pain, I begin to run down the dune and grab our equipment as fast as I can. Levi doesn't have his knives, and all of this is too heavy for me to carry myself. Some of these items might have to be sacrificed. But which ones should I choose?! I know that this might be a bit selfish, but I completely abandon Levi's equipment and begin to sprint with the sponsor gifts that I received.

When I peak up, though, all I see is a sharp object go flying into Levi's shoulder, drawing blood instantly and staining his already sheathed clothing. Levi doesn't do anything besides yell in pain, the sound of his voice being able to send shivers crawling down my spine. He places his hand on the high carbon blood stained steel, his hand honed about four inches long.

The knife, instead of being pulled out, is somehow sinking deeper into Levi's tainted outfit. Now turning to the left, I see the boy from Ten along with the boy from Nine just staring at him. The only thing is that one threw the knife and the other just stared and watched – but that doesn't matter, they're both at fault for this!

The boy from Ten – Julio, I believe his name was – was weighing a knife with his hand. It was no heavier than a kitchen blade but would cut easily on first contact, even with little to no pressure. And as I saw what happened to Levi... I can barely even finish the thought when looking at this sick bastard. He's so willing to do it, and he's smiling, too! _Smiling..!_

The serrations on the knife were like waves, but not randomly so like some cheaper brand of knives. _No, this was different. This was like a sponsor gift._ Before I can dare to look back at the face of this jerk, he throws another knife at Levi, aiming for the same spot. The knife slid into his forearm smoothly and did maximum damage, from the looks of it.

Quickly whipping out the crossbow that I received, I steady my aim straight for the boy's neck. That is until I hear Levi scream again, the pain in his voice making me want to tear everything apart.

Despite my body shaking, I know that I'm going to save Levi. I'll do anything and everything I can. And just as Julio takes out another knife, a different colored knife this time – one that had a perfect piece of steel, the sharp cutting edge morphing into what looked like a shark fin – and that frightens me.

But before Julio can shoot I fire an arrow.

* * *

 **Julio Calline, 18;**

 **District Ten Male**

The boy from Five seemed to be shocked at first, almost like he didn't know where he was, but now he's back to normal – or at least what I figure to be normal for him...

When I sent that knife flying into his shoulder and forearm, I wasn't sure that I could actually hit him. In fact, I was actually doubting myself. There was no way in a million years did I actually think that I would be able to actually hit a target. But now that I know that I can, maybe this won't be so difficult after all.

Now I have my chance to take someone else – besides Lark – out of these Games. Lark will be saved for later, but right now, all I'm planning to do is take out Five. I've been meaning to ever since the bloodbath, when I tripped him, but never got the chance to after the girl from Four tried to kill me. But she's irrelevant, she's dead now.

He's _alive_.

''What's wrong with you, why are you doing this?'' Five groans, holding onto his arm like a crying toddler who just fell while trying to run away from his older sibling. ''Just leave me alone!''

''No,'' I growl, moving closer to him. ''I want you dead, and when I want something I get it. This Victory is _mine_ , and you're just someone in the way. I _have_ to take you down, you know that. Don't make this difficult on yourself. Just stand still and let me slit your throat!''

Five doesn't listen as I instructed but instead tries to run away. The only thing, though, is that he's almost frozen in fear. Like, he just won't move until I'm five feet away from him. He turns on his heel and begins sprinting away before I can even register what happened.

He's at least fifty feet away from me by the time I can actually blink, his legs carrying him through the fuscous-brown desert. This just makes my blood boil. I've been walking through this desert for three days straight and I had seen neither man nor mutt, and my water is all gone..! The only damn person here with me has been Lark, and I'm quite tired of seeing him, if I'm telling you the truth.

I've tried to keep a calm, charming personality but it's slowly cracking and fading away. Sooner or later I'm gonna swing my knife and tear right through his neck, but I don't want to do that just yet. I'll give it some time, but still..! This was the most desolate and lonesome environment I had ever been in. I felt like a goddamn castaway on a sea of sand, with Lark at my side.

And Lark is really starting to tick me off. The past couple of days with him have been terrible – he left me to defend against woolly mammoths by myself, he's been hesitant on the idea of killing tributes, and now he's just standing there looking idiotic! This is the damn Hunger Games, it's kill or be killed!

And I want all these tributes killed!

Taking the risk, I leave Lark behind and sprint towards Levi, catching up to him in almost an instance. The further we went, the more monotony this part of the Arena got. And the wilderness was difficult to explain. It was like... a crucible of death, a bone-dry basin of vastness and death. The only visual relief that we both saw was a spiny cactus and jumping cholla bush. As far as my eyes could see, everything was being roasted with the same intensity of heat that we're suffering through right now.

The deeper and deeper we get, I begin to see things. Some of the tributes' faces begin to flash right before my eyes, and I can see them all taking forms of various mutts. The boy from Four's head is on the body of a bird and that makes me stare at it for too long, slowing me down just as Five stops, too.

The only difference between me and Five is that he's tired, which is the reason why he completely falls to the floor, exhausted. I do my best to shake my head and remove myself from this trance. Nothing seems to be working, despite all of my efforts to get out! The boy from Four starts flapping its mutt wings right in front of my face, and I'm just confused.

But something just makes him go poof. He disappears as soon as I feel a sharp pain on my thigh. As I peer down, I see a sharp glistening arrow lodged into it. The arrow hurts like hell, and the pain just keeps me stunned for a second or two. It all just happened so unexpectedly. I had no idea what happened at first, but then the dull aching seemed to burn. It's spreading from my thigh to my leg now..!

The red, crimson blood was soaking from the deep wound that the arrow created in my outfit. Staring down at the gaping wound, now oozing, my eyes become wide and fearful. I-I wasn't prepared for this to happen, I never thought he'd have backup. My blood, the blood I never thought I would see, despite this being the Hunger Games, is now spilling all over there floor.

That's when I turn around and see her. The girl from Twelve stands so far away from me that it's hard to imagine that she shot this arrow from _that_ far away, a crossbow poised straight in her hands. _But what happened to Lark? Did he just let her come after me or did she kill him? She couldn't have, there was no cannon!_

''You bitch!'' I shout, ripping the arrow right out of my thigh. ''How dare you?! Who do you think you are, shooting at me like that?! Don't you dare do that again!''

''Get away from him!'' She screams back at me. I turn around and stare at Five, who just lies on the floor and quivers from the knives in his arm. Turning around and staring at the girl from Twelve again, I'm tempted to walk towards him – so that's what I do.

I can already sense her sending an arrow flying at me, so I quickly dive to the right and roll on my back, slowly crawling towards Five as I hold onto my wound. Once I finally reach him I whip out a knife and put him in a choke hold, pressing the knife right in front of his Adam's Apple. Twelve flinches, causing me to let out a devious chuckle.

''Oh, are you scared for him..?'' I tease, slowly compressing the knife closer to his throat. ''Well, you should be, because this kid's dead, you hear me? D-E-A-D, DEAD!''

''STOP IT!'' She yells, her face turning red. Without a warning she takes off starting, giving me a reason to swipe this knife from left to right. And just as she finally begins to pick up speed, the tears streaming down her face, a malevolent smile creeps onto mine. ''STOP!''

''Oops!'' I cackle, and just as I slide my knife just a bit to the right, Five bites down extremely rough on my hands, instantly making me bleed. My knife only cuts a bit of his throat, but it's not even enough to make him feel pain – the most it'll do is leave a scab there. But as that happens, he just continues to bite down. My obvious reaction is to just punch him repeatedly in the head, and that's exactly what I do, but nothing works! Then, at a moment least expected, the Twelve girl runs straight for me, her crossbow not in her hand but instead an arrow, and it's pointed right for my left eye!

Everything happens so quickly. One moment I have Five almost dead, the next he's biting me, then I'm punching him, and now something metallic goes tearing right through my left eye, leaving me with a blinding pain. Five doesn't stop biting, and my eye is completely screwed. My breathing is becoming more difficult but I'm not dead yet, no.

All I see is now is Twelve hovering over me, but half my vision is blurry as shit. ''You stupid bitch,'' I cough up, slowly tilting my head further up. ''There couldn't have been a more worse time for you to show up, you know that,'' I chuckle, but it's the type of chuckle you let when you know you fucked up. ''You just had to fuck everything up, didn't you? You couldn't have just let me get my kill and be done with it, could you? But no, you had to fuck up my vision and ruin everything...''

Five stands up and rushes over to Twelve. His arm wraps around her waist and neck as he begins to run away with her, but Twelve doesn't want to leave me be. _She's going to kill you, you know that? Get the hell up!_ Scrambling to my feet, I run right after the two as Five steps in front of Twelve. Staring straight at him, I sprint right to him, making it look like I'm about to kill him, and I love how he falls for it.

I quickly side step to the left, giving myself a furious boost that launches me straight at Twelve, a hidden knife in my pocket as I fling it out and get ready to stab it straight into that fucking bitch's neck! Well, that's what I thought until Five's foot sticks out and trips me.

Falling straight to the floor face first, I let out a chuckle. ''Hehe, I wonder where you got that from, seeing as that was the exact same thing I did to you when we were at the B-Bloodbath...''

''Stop, just stop it!'' Five shouts, covering his ears as he begins to tear up, his body stained with sweat and tears, along with blood. ''We're gonna leave you, okay? J-Just leave us alone. If you do that, we'll never meet again. You don't have to do thi-''

I watch as Twelve pushes Five aside, almost forcefully as she kicks me straight in the face. My vision was already blurred but I'm just being absolutely destroyed now. One more kick to the face and I can taste iron, as the blood sputters out of my mouth. I blink rapidly with my one good eye, giving Twelve a stupid grin, showing off my bloodied teeth.

She looks disgusted, but that's exactly what I want from her. Their faces are exactly what I want to see, and I will see those types of faces because I get what I want. ''JULIO!''

''L-Lark..?'' I mumble to myself.

I slowly reside my head to the left, seeing Lark sprinting towards me through my peripheral vision. Is he actually going to help me out for once? A spark of hope rises into my chest and I almost smile; that is until he disappoints me and stops running. The weirdly shaped axe that he has in his hand is perfect for _killing –_ but he'd never use it.

Lark's too pussy to kill someone.

''Dammit, Lark, attack!'' I yell, biting down on my tongue just as more blood floods into my mouth. ''If you don't, Lark, I'll kill you! I'll kill you horribly!''

''J-Julio..?''

''I'LL CUT YOU UP ONE BY ONE AND FEED YOUR CARCASS TO A MUTT, DAMMIT! LARK, KILL THEM, NOW!''

It really is true... I've become a villain, but this wasn't how I really wanted to turn out. I just wanted to go back home, to get back to Ten and live a better life – not become a psychopath. These Games turn people into cruel, vicious bastards who can't stand life after what they've been through. And whether or not I make it out of these cruel Games or not, I'm taking someone out with me.

Twelve and Five are both distracted by Lark, so I quickly shuffle up to my feet and grip the knife that was in my hand tighter than ever. Almost tripping over myself as I begin running, I see the look of fear on the girl from Twelve's face as I approach her. My knife glistens in the sunlight, the handle silk and buttery just how I like it.

''Checkmate.'' I smile, my eyebrows raised high and mighty as I'm about to claim my second kill. Just as I reach Twelve, though, Five pushes her as hard as he can and jumps in front of my knife, the weapon piercing right through his neck. It's like everything just stops. I hear a loud gasp escape from Lark's lips, my arms begin to tremble as Five's eyes roll back, the gash in his throat squirting blood all over me, and...

And Twelve's eyes. It's like all of the humanity is lost from them. She just sits there, her mouth agape with tears and embarrassingly red cheeks popping out. He didn't even get to say his final words, despite trying to choke something out, despite his constant gurgling. There's a demented look on his face, and I know that it'll haunt me for the rest of the time I have left in this Arena.

I twist my knife instead of his neck, skewering every last piece of skin that's left, as everyone's expressions turned dark and gloomy. Finally removing the knife, I watch as his limp body falls backwards and slams roughly against the crypt-quiet, motionless and soundless ground. Even with his body thumping against the hard floor, you have to really concentrate to become aware of the noise.

Nothing happens after this, besides me slowly standing up and beginning to trudge over towards Sashen, who lies on the ground not even ten feet away from me. One knife killed her partner so I'll use the same on her. Their last bits of blood can be shared and maybe they'll be reunited. Who knows? There's only one way to find out.

Just as I reach her, my dehydrated liver shuts down. The listless taste of my spit and blood was a distant memory as I limped the final inches towards my second victim of the day.

''You're mine...''

She doesn't say a word; nothing at all.

''You better embrace it, because you're dead... Just. Like. Him.''

* * *

 **Lark McGlacen, 17;**

 **District Nine Male**

''Hey, Lark,'' Julio calls out, a bloody smile on his face. The bloody knife that he used to kill Levi is held up high into the air, he's standing victoriously over Sashen, like he's _proud_ of what he's just done. He looks proud, like he just accomplished something... _What the hell is there to be proud of when killing another human being?!_ ''Watch as Twelve here dies, then you and me can get out of here..!''

Sashen just sits there on her knees, staring right at Levi's body. His chest rises up for the last time, and I watch as he tries to choke just one more word, _one_ , out before he dies – but he can't, because the cut in his throat is too deep for any sort of last words. He's surely finished.

Through the gruesome sight of this, I can't help but continue to stare. It's like those disgusting films you see on T.V., and you just want to turn away but your eyes are locked to the screen; you just can't turn away, no matter how hard you try. And that's exactly what's happening with the scenery in front of me right now.

And that's when everything just quickly ends for him. The poor boy is taken out of his misery, only two minutes after the initial stab. His chest stops rising and instead sinks back down where it just stops, and a cannon soon follows. Sashen is just staring wide eyed at her dead ally, with the tears that were streaming down her face all dried up.

I can't make out her expression. It's like... like a mixture between anger, remorse, and sadness. You just can't help but feel pity for her as you stare, but what's even worse is that Julio's enjoying this. I've never seen him like this before, not even when he killed Challis – and that was a pretty rough kill.

''Is he dead?'' Julio taunts, grabbing Sashen by her jaw. He presses the knife against her cheek, slowly sinking it into her skin. A bit of blood escapes Sashen's cut cheek, but she doesn't do a thing about it. Nothing, and Julio's becoming pissed because of this. _He wants her to show emotion, to cry and beg for her life just like a psycho would..._

Sashen barely looks up, just a plain and blank expression on her face now. She drops the bloodied arrow in her hand – the one she used to stab Julio in the eye with, partially blinding him – and begins to quiver. ''I-I-I... I-I didn't s-s-save him... I-I pr-promised I would... do anything to k-keep him a-alive, b-b-but... y-you k-killed him...''

''So?!'' Julio brings his arm down to her neck, squeezing it with so much force. ''Yeah, I did kill him, but that's what you're supposed to do in the Games,'' he breaks it to her, watching as the life escapes from her face. ''You think I was just gonna let him go peacefully and watch as he merrily strolled his way away from death?! No!'' She just closes her eyes, and she shows no sign of hope. ''He's dead now, get over it! But don't worry, I won't make you suffer, you'll be seeing him sooner than you think...''

Just as he says that, she shows a sign of pain and clutches her leg, but Julio doesn't notice this. He playfully taunts her by slapping her cheek multiple times and finally sets up for a blow that will easily kill her. ''What do you think, Lark?'' Julio recognizes me, and the sound of his voice makes me stumble back. ''Should I stab her in the temple, slit her throat, or just make it painless and jab her in the heart?!''

''J-Julio, stop, we need to leave, now!''

''Why is that, Lark?!'' Julio grows angrier. ''You want me to leave her alive when her dying could lead to an opening for us to make it further into these Games, and possibly win..? What kind of shit is that?!''

'' _Us_?!'' I shout out furiously, biting back tears from escaping my eyes. ''What do you mean by _us_ , Julio?! We both know you're only using me to make it further into these Games, and when you render me useless you're gonna kill me, aren't you?!'' Never would I have even thought about speaking my mind, but like everyone else, these Games have changed me... ''You don't think I hear you mumbling to yourself, jackass?! You're full of shit, just leave her alone, dammit!''

''NO!'' What he just said doesn't matter, though, because I see it in Sashen's eyes. The pain and terror that she feels, but she completely masks all of the fearful expressions away. She's just mad now, and as Julio continues to hold his hand up in the air she stabs the arrow that she dropped right into his thigh again, causing even more pain than before.

Julio yells out in pain, jumping back as Sashen swiftly jumps up, a heavy-looking backpack being carried by her, and leaps right towards him. Her shoulder makes contact with his chin as she strolls up, making Julio stumble back, and instead of running away like most people would do in this situation, she just begins attacking him with furious combos.

Her fists repeatedly make contact with Julios face, leaving automatic bruises that appear in no time whatsoever. When Julio isn't expecting much, she grabs him by the collar of his outfit and headbutts him right in between the eyes and then brings his head down, kneeing him right in the nose. Blood immediately runs down his nose, and for some odd reason he chuckles.

''...So you're fighting back, huh?'' Julio chuckles. ''If only your little ally over there did, too-''

Like a banshee, Sashen screams horrifyingly high-pitched and causes my ears to errupt with pain just before she runs after Julio again. Even the weight of her backpack isn't holding her back from unexpectedly launching herself right at him, knocking him to the floor and reaching up to his throat to throttle him.

Julio fights her back, but only for a couple of moments before she uses her nails to claw at his throat. All I hear is the sound of flesh ripping, and if I'm being honest here, it scares the crap out of me. She continues to scream, easily drawing more and more blood from his throat. Even with me being confident in her winning this fight, I just don't see it happening – there's no way Julio would go out like this.

He uses the strength in his legs to kick her off of him and send her sprawling to the ground from above him and rolls up. Just as he rolls up, though, she's already on her feet and catches him in the stomach with her elbow, still screaming. She now begins to tear up, and it's not even regular... She's making these disgusting noises as she screams and begins yelling nonsense.

Julio's finally able to grab just a bit of her by gripping her shoulder tightly and stabbing at her leg, but that doesn't do anything. She's yelling and crying hysterically, and she doesn't even care what happens to her anymore – or anyone else, in fact. The way her pupils are shaking and the look on her bloodshot eyes are terrifying me. I feel like at any moment she'll just leave Julio and come attack me, where I'll be too shocked to move a single muscle – just like I am now.

As the knife is removed from her leg, she acts like she doesn't feel a single bit on the pain and punches Julio right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She's fighting so desperately right now, letting everything out in this battle right now. She roughly grabs Julio's hand and rips the knife from his grasp, when she uses it to stab it into his own shoulder, drawing more blood than any of us would have liked to see.

With all of this blood dropping to the floor, she just brings out more and more. ''GIVE ME BACK MY KNIFE!'' He goes to reach for his weapon again, but he isn't gonna be able to get it back because Sashen already divested it from him. Sashen yells at Julio, stabbing him straight in the palm of the hand that reached for his knife, and begins saying gibberish things about his effrontery.

You can see the pain in both of their faces, but it seems as if Sashen is going through much more. There's physical, emotional, and mental pain that's making her like this – but on a regular basis, she's such a sweet girl that it would be _impossible_ to imagine her like this, and I know this from the way she was in the Capitol. The poor girl's going through so much right now...

She – in a very unsuspecting way – shoves the knife into her mouth and carries it in between her teeth as she turns around and slams her large backpack right into Julio, immediately knocking him back to the floor, a pained look on both of their faces. Sashen drops her backpack and dives right into Julio, using her mouth to stab the knife right into Julio's chest.

He screams but continues to jibe her, mocking the way she looks and provokes even more of her madness with his flippancy. She repeatedly stabs the knife into his chest, but it's not deep enough to kill him. He's going through so much pain right now – they both are. Julio, in some way, is able to dodge her last strike and roll to the side and fling her off of his body.

''LARK!'' He yells standing up, beginning to run away. Sashen holds out her knife and sends it hurling into his shoulder. After she does that, she pulls something out of her bag quickly and then begins chasing after him. Julio's trying to run towards me but he won't be able to because Sashen catches up to him and slams something into the back of his head, before ripping the knife out of his shoulder.

As I stare closer, I realize that it's a bottle of gasoline... _She pulled that out of her backpack, but where did she-_

''She got it as a sponsor gift,'' I whisper to myself, trembling as I watch her remove the cap and dump it all over Julio. She kicks him in the side of the temple and pours it all over his face, watching as he bathes in the oil. The bottle looks like it's almost empty, and I'm guessing that it is because she forces his mouth open and forces him to drink the rest of the gasoline... He begins choking on some and spits it out...

 _He's gonna die if you don't do something now!_

''Lark, help me!'' Julio howls, trying but failing to crawl away, still spitting out gasoline from his mouth. ''Lark, dammit, kill her! Kill her so we can leave! LARK! LARK, HELP ME-!''

Sashen digs the knife into Julio's chest one more time, except this time it cut _deeply_ into his body. He coughed up so much blood that it was unbelievable that he wasn't dead yet. And to cause more pain, she rams her fist _into_ his wound... Her furious eyes stare straight into his as she continues to slam her fist in and out of his chest – the scene being absolutely terrifying.

Now that she finally seems to be finishing him off, blood begins to gush out of his chest and his mouth, but she soon stops both by digging her fist back into his chest and seizing his mouth by slamming his jaw shut. Julio begins to scream in a muffled tone, though, so none of his words are able to be heard, and he begins to choke on his own blood. He was completely locked in her grip, and there was no way he was getting out of this. The deal was done...

''SHUT UP!'' Sashen yelled out, removing her hand from his jaw and slamming her fist into his mouth. ''JUST SHUT UP, OKAY? JUST SHUT UP!'' With that, Julio's eyes begin to tremble, and the smile that was once on his face has completely disappeared. He can't even speak through all the pain erupting in his body, so Sashen finally decides that it's time to kill him. She pushes his struggling body to the floor and rips out the match that was hanging on the side of her gasoline bottle.

Rubbing it against the bottle, she lights up the match and stares down at Julio. One move and she'll set him afire, blazing before her... Without hesitation, she throws the burning match onto the gasoline surrounding Julio's body and watches as his body is set into flames, his endless screams echoing throughout the quiet environment.

''LARK-!''

His screams are overtaken by the sound of fire burning. Sashen just stands there, staring down at his body until she hears me croak out. Turning around slowly, I see her tears lighting up on her face as the side of her cheek turns into an orange color, showing all of the marks across her face and the painful look in her eyes.

''Go...'' She mouths.

I-I can't go, though... I just stood here and watched Julio die... He called for my help and I didn't even move a muscle. ''B-But I can't move... I can't just leave him..!'' _Yes you can. Get out of here and go! Leave Julio, he's dead... There's nothing you're able to do now in order to save him!_

''LARK!''

''I... I-''

''GET OUT!'' Sashen yells, stomping her foot into the ground. ''YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, OKAY? YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAVE SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON! JUST GET OUT BEFORE I GET OVER THERE AND KILL YOU, TOO!''

Her words make my heart skip a beat, and my eyes travel down to her ankle. She's hurt literally everywhere on her body, so I should be able to take her out if I wanted to. _But the thing is that I don't wanna kill her. Not at all._

Continuing to stare, I watch as Julio rolls on the floor and cries out in pain. Along with him, the sponsor gift of ten knives that he received yesterday are also burning in the fire, so he's completely useless now. There's no reason to stay here any long, so I turn around on my heel and begin running.

''Goodbye, Julio...'' I didn't believe it at first, but it is true... Everybody is a killer... All you gotta do is push them to the limits.

 _Chime._

What perfect timing.

* * *

 **Orion Aquarius, 17;**

 **District Seven Male**

Today's been so banal, I can't comprehend how the Capitol hasn't gotten anyone killed yet, or at least brought two or more tributes together. I wouldn't mind if they got me to go against others, it just means more tributes out of the way to get back home. Back to living my life the way I deserve to live it.

Although today may not have been the most active, I can't help but feel tense. There's just this feeling that something bad's gonna happen in the pit of my stomach. I just feel like Demetri – the Head Gamemaker – is planning something devious tonight. It's like controlling the Games has completely changed his attitude and made him somewhat... devious, I guess you would say.

But that's fine by me. _No, it's not._ He can send whatever he wants my way, I'll... I'll be able to... ''Dammit,'' I mutter under my breath. When I finally have a hint, just a hint, of confidence it's all blown away once I realize that this is reality, not my imagination. It all depends on how many mutts there are, and even with me killing a couple of them for these past couple of days, I've barely managed to escape without getting my throat snatched.

There are probably mutts just roaming around here, waiting for me to make a wrong turn and then ambush me, possibly killing me today... _Stop it, Orion, just stop it!_

Trying to take my mind off of things, I begin to clean the blood on my axe and spear. Half of the spear is still covered in the girl from Three's blood... Staring at that brings back memories. Oh, how brutal that was of me. And then looking at my axe, I relish in the moment that I killed Carter at the Bloodbath.

Call me brutal, call me evil, hell, call me a psycho, I don't care. Because I know I'm neither of those things. People in this World do everything they can to survive; everyone steals, everyone lies, everyone does things they wish they didn't do, so why is that any different from what I'm doing? – killing is wrong, yeah, but this is the damn Hunger Games. What else am I supposed to do?

Well, it doesn't matter to me. Whatever happens from here on out happens, and that's all there is to it. Whoever dies, dies, and that's not my problem. There's no remorse for anyone in this Arena, there never was. You can't feel pity and let people live... Has everyone forgotten that there's only _one_ Victor? I can't tell you how many tributes I saw let each other go during the Bloodbath.

The girl from Six, for example. I saw her hiding behind a hut for so long, but I decided to let her be. Mickaela also escaped somehow, same with the boy from Five. Sucks how they're all still alive, right? Well, we can fix that right up, can't we? _Yes, yes we can._

Contemplating over if I should get up or not, I pick up my blood-free axe and drag the blood stained spear on the floor, removing most of the dried substance from it. I've yet to find any true comfort in this Arena. All I've had are these pile of leaves to sleep on, sometimes a tree if I'm feeling down with it.

But besides that this is complete and utter crap. There's no comfort in this environment, everything is just trees and-

The sound of a cannon wipes the thought from my mind away clean. I guess they really don't need me to go out and hunt after all.

As I continue walking, another cannon booms. A small smile creeps on my face, knowing that two more tributes are out of the competition. So how many tributes are left now? Twelve, I think... I'm not too sure. After these two cannons just blasted, I watch as the sun begins to set.

I watched with an unwavering gaze, as a fiery red orb of light slowly sank beneath the tree's horizon, and the threads of light lingered in the sky, mingling with the rolling clouds. It was dyeing the heavens first orange, then red, then dark blue, until all that was left of it was a chalky mauve.

After all this, it melted away in turn of staggering darkness that took over the sky. Silver stars like the glowing embers of a dying fire winked down at me, illuminating the beautiful curtain that these silver stars left on the sky, and then all of the clouds parted, leaving me in awe as I stare at a lustrous disc casting brilliant rays of moonlight onto the dark grounds...

The beauty of the sunset only intensified my anxiousness for more deaths. I don't care what happens to any other tribute as long as I'm safe and sound. Nobody else in this Arena matters, nobody at all. Just as long as I'm safe from harm and able to take out the competition, that's all that matters to me. I'll be back, I'll show Panem that I'm their next Victor.

Staring back up to the sky, I watch as the they waste no time showing the faces. The sun has gone to rest, the moon takes his place as the darkness begins to surround me. Believe me when I tell you that I like the night; it hides my flaws, my imperfections, my pessimistic attitude, the cuts on my body from mutts.

It hides everything and leaves an open way for me to make my move.

Immediately, the boy from Five's face pops up into the sky after the Capitol Logo. ''Levi,'' I chuckle to myself, shaking my head as his face disappears. Next to show up kinda shocks me. The boy from Ten, Julio Calline, I believe his name was, is dead. For some reason I feel like they both had something to do with each other's death.

A string of blue dissipates from the sky as Julio's face disappears, leaving the fading Capitol Logo stuck in the sky. Well, well, I wasn't expecting those two. I honestly thought Julio would be one to make the final five, judging by his Training Score.

But Levi... I thought he would have some string of luck that would carry him far. I predicted somewhere around seventh for him. But it looks like I was wrong – my prediction wasn't even close.

''Well,'' I utter to myself, coughing as I stare away from the sky. ''Two deaths is sufficient for today, but ending this early wouldn't be too bad.''

It's dark, and I'm always hunting at night. This is a great advantage for me, so let's see where this goes. Hopefully I can find a tribute to kill, or two, if I'm lucky. ''Jeez, I do sound like a psycho, don't I?'' I joke with myself, yawning as I rub my hand against my hair.

''Rah, rah, rah!'' I hear.

''What the hell...''

I'm not sure what that noise was, but I'm not interested unless it's a tribute – if not, then forget it. No mutt's gonna stop me... or at least I don't think so. But still, I've killed so many over these past four days, this being the fifth, so why wouldn't I be able to?

''Rah, rah, rah!''

''Seriously, who is that?'' I call out, slowly raising my axe up to my shoulder. I begin to move my eyes, staring left and right to find anyone who's trying to play a trick on me. It's difficult to actually see anything, though, because of the pitch black night. ''If you want to fight, can you just come out and get over this then? Thanks.''

''Alright then.'' When I hear that my heart skips a beat. _No way_ , I think to myself, shaking my head to try and erase the thought of _his_ voice. Realizing that I've been holding my breath in for all this time, I let it out and stare at a dominating tree. That's when I see _him_ walk out, holding the same knife that he was holding at the Bloodbath. ''Whattup, bitch!''

And there he is – Carter. ''W-What the hell...'' I grit my teeth, grinding them back and forth. ''You're dead. You died at the Bloodbath a while ago, why are you here?!''

''Rah, rah, rah!'' He laughs, holding onto his stomach – the same area that I stabbed him in. ''You really have no clue? The same damn thing that brought you back to life brought me back to life...again! This time, though, it's not just me.''

''Not just y-''

''Whattup, bitch!'' The sound of multiple voices are heard by my ears, and they all have the same voice. Moving out of the same tree that Carter came out of, four more of him appear. Neither of them actually hesitate before charging straight at me. Every single one of them. ''Get over here!''

One Carter grabs me by my waist and runs his knee up my back, which causes me to fall forward and groan out in pain. Swinging randomly, I turn around and decapitate the same one that kneed me in the back. The others just begin to chuckle as another Carter runs out of the same tree that they all ran out of.

''Are you kidding me?!'' I growl, ducking as one Carter jumps right over my back. My spear makes contact with one of their skulls and goes straight out the back. ''Despite you being so annoying, I somehow found a way to abide you,'' I gasp for breath as my spear makes contact with one of their abdomens, then my axe slams into their chest. ''And now you're back?!''

''Yeah, because I'm a king!'' Two more that run out say simultaneously.

''You have got to be kidding me,'' I complain, watching to see their movements. From behind, one Carter grabs me under my armpits and holds me up, but it's not for long since I'm much strong than him. Smiling, I throw him off of me and dodge another Carter by ducking, which leads to one Carter stabbing another that was apparently behind me.

And after one dies, out comes another one from behind the _same_ damn tree! I honestly can't deal with this, knowing that the Capitol is probably enjoying his revenge, or whatever you wanna call this.

''What's wrong, Orion?'' The Carters all ask at the same time. ''You scared? You look somewhat... disturbed... Is it because of my awesomeness? Is it because I'm just too good for you, too good for everyone else? Is that why you've got that disgusted look on your face?!''

Chuckling, I begin my sentence. ''No, Carter. The thing is, I'm not scared of you – nobody is.'' I charge at the Carter to my left, skidding my feet on the leaves that flow through the air every time I kick. ''I was just relishing in the moment that I killed you!'' I swing my spear, stabbing him in the neck. ''Honestly, you were the only thing that encumbered me back from killing more tributes at the Bloodbath. If I wasn't so focused on ending your life without a care, I would've probably gotten more!''

''Rah, rah, rah!''

A sharp pain slashes across my stomach, and slowly looking down I see my Arena Outfit somewhat ripped and a line of blood dripping down my body. ''What the..?'' I can't even finish my sentence before I see another Carter that I didn't notice – the one that came out of the tree after I stabbed the other one in the neck – run right past me and incised me in the stomach with a knife.

Laughing out loud, all five of them run at me at the same time, me being in the center with nowhere to go. All of them jump on me, bring me down and begin to kick me as I lie on the floor. ''Agh!'' I shout, protecting my face as I bring my axe up. That probably isn't the smartest thing to do, seeing as one of the Carter's actually kicks the axe down and has the flat side of it slam into my face.

Luckily that wasn't the blade, or else I would've definitely died there. Just thinking about that makes me begin to sweat. ''You gonna just fall, Orion? That's what I always expected from someone like you! That fake personality you had in the Capitol, your high Training Score, all of it was fake! You're nothing more than a bitch who's gonna die by the hands of his own imagination!''

The veracity of his words is incredible. Even with all that's going on, I still can't help but agree with everything he's said. I've tried not to be pessimistic but I just... I can't. It's just too much for me. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I can-

Wait. Imagination? What does he mean by imagination?

''What?!''

The Carters all begin to vex me as they don't stop kicking, and I just feel so heated right now. I wanted to power through all of them and bounce them off of me like some type of God, I wanted abort from the attack after slicing through at least two of them; I wanted to kill all of the onerous Carters around me, all of them being benign.

Neither of them were tough, it was just the mental pain. I can't even think properly, I'm not able to even protect myself. My head is beginning to pound like someone's kicking my temple over and over and over again. The feeling of it all is just way too much. Carter's overbearing desire to mess with me is killing me on the inside.

Not even being able to think properly, I slowly look up, blood running down my head.

''Peek-A-Boo!'' Carter's foot comes down onto my face right as I blink.

* * *

 **14** **th** **– Levi Wyatt, District Five**

 **13** **th** **– Julio Calline, District Ten**

* * *

 **Wizard. Dude, can I just be honest with you here? Levi goddamn Wyatt was one of the best tributes I received ever since day one of this story. He was always in my top 10 favorites and he was always a competitor for me. Yes, he was a competitor. My initial actions with him were to bring him into the final six. Levi would've placed sixth before I killed him off, and it would've been to a mutt as he ran to the Feast, but then I changed that to him placing eight at the Feast, after I did some planning. INITIAL PLANS! I really loved Levi. Like, every time I wrote him and tried to fit myself in his shoes, I felt so calm with him like I knew him in real life and could compare to him well. He was just a shy and quiet boy who had a lot to say in his mind, but he was never able to bring it out. At first I had planned for the Games to change him into someone who was gonna be loud and proud, but then I decided that driving someone like him crazy would add some really tough effect. His and Sashen's relationship was beautiful. I absolutely loved writing those two together, truthfully. They were definitely my favorite duo, seeing as they were both so cute and fun and loving. I just can't even tell you how much fun I had writing him. Thank you for submitting him, and I'm sorry that he's dead. But hey, you still have Hero, bro. :)**

 **Cloe. Aw, man, Julio was a great tribute, I truly thank you for submitting him to me. But if I'm being honest with you, Julio was never really one of my favorites. I preferred Isha over him any day of the week, and I think you already know that. We talked about both of them, and I told you I had plans for Julio but Isha really got in the way of his success. I always focused more on her, and I don't wanna lie to you. Julio probably faded into the background, and you even told me you loved Isha more than him. Honestly, I loved Julio as an antagonist. Well, not really. More like an anti-hero. That's what I saw him as. He said he would be a villain if he _had_ to be one, but in all honesty he was just doing what needed to be done. The baby was always on his mind, and he knew he was gonna do anything to get back to it, even if that meant secretly planning to kill and push Lark into the dangerous situations that he was always in. They had a sort of bromance, but it really didn't end well. I felt like their dynamic could've been better, and it should've, but that's my fault as an author for not writing them as well as I should've. Honestly, I felt like I could've done so much better with him, and I'm sorry if he turned out like shit in the end. Just know that even though he wasn't as big as he could've been, he was always special. :)**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! So new chapter, eh, eh? Remember when Second Chance was updated like, every other day or every three days? That was the time, eh? Yeah, I wish I could do that again, but sadly I cannot! :D I just... I miss those times, you know? But at least- okay, I'm just gonna shut up because I say the same damn thing over and over again every A/N. So this chapter was pretty fun to write – kinda. So in all honesty, Levi's death wasn't supposed to happen. Sashen was seriously supposed to die here. My bad, Aaron, I don't mean to call your tribute out like that, hope you understand XD Just pointing that out, ha ha. But yeah, I thought Levi dying would've really changed Sashen... But at first Sashen was supposed to change Levi, but how would that have worked if he was slowly going crazy..? It wouldn't of hardened him, but more like make him even more crazy to the point where he saw figments of her and heard her voice in his head at night.**

 **Orion's POV was... To be honest, I could've done way better on that one, too. I wrote one of these POVs two weeks ago, then did two more the same day and started Orion's but then stopped after the second page, then decided not to work on that until four days later, seeing as his POV turned out kinda bad. I'm sorry for that, Reader. His POV here was probably a disappointment, but I promise his next one will be amazing. But hey, I got Carter to be part of it, Orion's best hater! I loved writing Carter coming back, even if it was just the Arena playing tricks on Orion. He's thinking that he's actually being attack when it's just the mental pain. Oh, man, messing with these tributes is SO fun. Watch as the others get torn apart... Especially next chapter. Oh, the next two deaths will really be something else. The development in that chapter. God, I'm so happy with the ideas, I might as well start writing it now. Aha, this chapter was definitely LESS descriptive than usual. MRRRRMMMPHHH, that upsets me xD**

 **''Call me what you want but you can't call me broke(money)!'' Random lyrics, why not? So anyway, story time? Ha ha, okay, so last week it was pouring with rain in the morning. It was so difficult to get to school because of all the traffic, and I wasn't gonna walk in the rain. I was texting a friend about it that morning and he was like, ''300 flat, you won't walk to school in the rain!'' Me, being ballsy and stupid and all, decides to open up my front door and as soon as I step out I get pissed on – not literally. So then I get a ride, right, and we were supposed to take a certain route once we got to school to go into the main lobby so we didn't get poured on. So me, with my defiant ass, eyes all of the APs while they stare at me and just take off running through the front office door, passing through the rain as they called out for me, ha ha. Jesus Christ, after that I ran into the main lobby from the outside courtyard and met up with the friend, drenched from head to toe in my Medical Uniform. Guess who got payed 300 for a false act? This guy...**

 **But after that happened, I was kinda upset. I just got drenched for 300 when school, in my opinion, should've most likely been closed for the day due to flooding. So I decided to text the School District and these were our messages. ''Why is school open?!'' ''We're just following the school calendar.'' ''It should be closed, though. It's pouring like hell out here.'' ''Sorry, we're just doing our job.'' ''Y'all creep.'' ''I'm sorry for the inconvenience.'' ''Man, y'all are fake.'' ''So what are we, creep or fake?'' ''Fuck you, y'all both.'' ''Listen, I'm sorry about this, but it's just priority. I hope you understand. And if anything happens, just tell the school.'' ''So if I'm walking to my 2** **nd** **period class and I accidentally trip and fall and bust my head open my mom can sue, right?'' ''Child...'' And then it all stopped xD Then one of my idiotic friends decided to go on his Twitter and tweet at the School District, ''I dropped my homework in the water, fam, what do I tell my teacher?''**

 **Ah, school... OMG, so yesterday in fourth period, my Math teacher decided to be all generous and junk and help us all raise our grade. I thanked her so much because, well, your boy's not the best at Math ;) So we did this quiz and could do it with a partner and also this other project thing that we saved for the end. While we're all taking the quiz, I decide to call out, ''Andrea, why don't you sound happy when you address my name?'' Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared up XD It was so awkward. And yes, I call my teacher by her first name. We have a relationship like that, aha. Don't you feel special when you're the only person who can call your teacher by her first name? ^^ So she was like, ''What, Ansley?'' And I was like, ''There it is again! You say my name so depressing like. Like, every time I walk past these hallways and say, 'Hi, Andrea!' it's in an energetic way but you always slump over and sigh, saying, ''Hi, Ansley...'' She was like, ''What do you want me to be like, 'Oh, my God, Ansley, hi!'' And I just nodded my head. ''Yeah, we have a relationship like that, duh!'' And then she remembered about what I said to her a week ago and I was like, ''Yeah...''**

 **LOL, so then after that I just kept smiling at her, and she kept smiling at me and we just stared at each other. I lowered my eyebrows and gave a somewhat flirtatious look and then started laughing because of something I thought of. Then she was like, ''You're the last person to not finish, can you do your quiz?'' And I had one question left, so I was like okay... AND THEN, THIS ONE KID HAD THE AUDACITY TO BRING UP THE TOPIC OF GETTING DRUNK! WHAT?! HE WAS LIKE, TO OUR 24-YEAR-OLD TEACHER, ''MS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU SAW ONE OF US AT A BAR DRINKING OR HIGH?'' I turned around and stared at this kid, basically glaring at this point. ._. How dare he... I repeat: How dare he bring up to topic of drinking..?**

 **He looked at me like I was crazy or something and kinda gave me an awkward look. I didn't even realize my hand shoot up xD Before I knew it, a pencil went flying across the room and hit his wall – my pencil. Ha ha, I was like, ''Ahhhhhghghhh!'' Then turned around as he screamed out, ''What the fuck?!'' Our teacher didn't see so she was all like, ''Watch yo profanity!'' Then she was going on about how two teachers who were right next to us saw three seniors at a local bar with fake IDs, drinking. Holy crap, dude, when I heard that I instantly thought of myself in two years, being a senior and all with a fake ID. Man, I could totally see myself as a senior at bars and stuff. Would that honestly shock anyone? Then she was like, ''I would report you guys because that's my job as a citizen.'' I gave this woman a look, a grimace on my face. She seemed confused for a second and then I was like, ''Alright, be like that.'' I swear she was the only one in the class besides the other kid who didn't chuckle at that comment because she was so oblivious to the whole thing. Pretty sure it's an inside joke for everyone else and I lol.**

 **Then in fifth period we had a substitute. She was an adorable elderly woman and I couldn't help but smile every time she spoke. She was just so adorable and I know everyone else agreed. She was so kind and stuff, and then she started talking about this activity she did when she taught preschool. She was like, ''Go around in order and give everyone else adjectives to describe their personality and then end at me.'' Ironically, I sat right beside her and was the last person to say something to her. The last kid who described me said humorous, and then the class went silent as I thought of a word to describe her. I meant this as a joke, just saying, and then said ''Seductive.'' O: We all erupted in laughter and crap and she slapped my arm weakly, then my face and was like, ''Sweetie, stop! That's inappropriate...'' Then started laughing XD**

 **This week was just so action packed, I'm not even gonna lie. And then two days ago, and I got this idea from Wizard, I got to my English Teacher's class and she started telling us to speak. So, being Wizard for a period, I started using all of this grammar that was random and was all backwards and junk, and she got so scared. She kept looking at me like I was sick or something and then when class ended she pulled me back and placed her hands on my cheek asking, ''Honey, are you okay? You seem different today and less... grammatical.'' So then I explained everything but said, ''I grammatical is vry.'' before I did. Ha ha, vry, not even very. She got so scared like, ''Oh, honey, not you, too!'' Then she was like, ''** **''Don't scare me like that again! You're one of my best students, don't do that ever again! You made me worried!''** **In her adorable South African accent. Ah, this week was so fun. BY THE WAY, SPEAKING OF WIZARD, YOU GUYS SHOULD TOTALLY CHECK OUT HIS NEW SYOT. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED; HE WRITES SO AMAZINGLY, IT'S INCREDIBLE!**

 **Okay, so it's been three pages of stories so far, and I should be wrapping this up. I HAVE ONE MORE, THOUGH! So it was nine at night, right? And this was last week on a Saturday, there was a huge party going on in a neighborhood three streets down from mine. I got a friend who lived in my neighborhood and another who lived two neighborhoods down and we were gonna go after being invited, but then there were cop cars and stuff pulling up. As that happened, we were literally two neighborhoods down from their other one, and the music was blasting SO loud. Literally, we could hear it from the back gate entrance, and my song was bumping, so I had to hit it for a bit. LOL, I was just feeling myself and ''UHHHHH!'' I was trapping, but then the cops pulled up. Dude, I got SO scared. I think I shit bricks or something. At least three pulled up right in front of us with six cops. As soon as that happened, my friends and I just stopped. The cops were like, ''Do you guys know anything about the party?'' I was stuttering like, ''N-No...'' Then my friends were like, ''No.'' Then they asked where we were going and I said Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart was literally the opposite of where we were going, and everyone just stared at me.**

 **Like rodents, we all just took off running opposite ways of each other. Karl went straight, Nick went right, I ran right with Nick but then turned to a split in the sidewalk where it leads to two different parts. As I'm doing that, I keep staring behind me to see if they're following and they are. ''Come back!'' XD I was just scared, but I knew I was innocent! I always am! So then I grab onto this fence that one of the neighbors had and jump over it, but as I get there there's a dog just staring at me. I fall to the floor after I jump and stare at the dog. That thing barks loud as hell and starts chasing after me, so I run around in a circle until it bites the back of my shirt and then lets go when I whirl in a circle. So then I jump up onto the other fence, but then it bites my butt and almost drags me back down until I start spazzing, ha ha. After that I ran home :D**

 **OKAY, I LIED, THAT ISN'T THE LAST STORY, THIS IS! So we were playing a game of ball at school, right? Yeah, so I get the ball and I'm just lighting my team up with assists and threes, and it's so fun! :D Then, as we're about to leave, I start screwing up. We're literally five points away from winning, a game of 21, and I'm tripping with the ball. I cross a friend over and drive in, but then I just tumble and fall somehow. I don't know why, but it was like there was a sniper in the building and my face hits a wall that protects us from snapping our faces or whatever, ha ha. And then my friend gets the ball and I chuck my shoe at him, hitting him right in the head and somehow he throws the ball up and scores. And then I hold my balance right before going out of bounds and throw the ball up but then I'm basically playing hop potato with myself because NOBODY comes to get the ball! Then I try to bounce it off my friend's legs but it goes flying to his chest somehow... O:! I had such a terrible ending, but oh, life is good... Life is good... ANYWAY, I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT MY WEEK FOREVER AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE QUESTIONS!**

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 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite?**

 **Did you like Carter's return?**

 **Predictions?!**

 **Were you surprised with anyone who died this chapter?**

 **Did you know that your birthday was the day when you were born? Life is crazy...**

 **Obama is a cactus. Yes, that's a question.**

* * *

 **Alright, well this chapter was definitely fun to write and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Psyche, just a little :D Anyway, hope you guys like it. That's all for now! "She so not playing, she gon' stop it. (aye!) I'm so fly like helicopters. (aye!) Tune that car up like a doctor. (aye!) Motherfuck all the crime stoppers. (aye) Eat her insides like a lobster. (aye!) Crome heart glasses, Harry Potter. (aye!) Actavis in baby bottle. (aye!) Balmain's on me like a model. (aye!) I'll see you next chapter. Bye! ^-^**


	25. Closer Than It Seems

**Day Six:**

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 **Asyrin Katchet, 18;**

 **District Two Male**

This is just downright boring.

Days have gone by and I still haven't managed to get a single kill, not one. So many tributes died and they didn't lose their lives by _my_ hands. I still only have, and those two have been claimed by me ever since the Bloodbath, so you can already tell how pissed off I am.

Being by myself is just... plain. I kinda miss Hero, and I can't help but wonder how he's doing right now with that bitch, who he can't help but adore. Oh, how I wanna just rip her throat to shreds right in front of him. Wonder how that would change him. Maybe he'd turn psychotic.

Can you imagine that? – a psychotic Hero?

That'd be very, very interesting. As I continue to walk around the forest, I can't help but squint my eyes because of the sunlight hitting me dead in the face. It's annoying, and kinda buggy. _If only I could just chuck my mace at it and make it explode. Yeah, then that stupid sunlight would leave me alone..._

Cutting through the vines that hang from the trees with my machete, I take in the heavy oxygenated air. It's kind of hard to breathe, but not really... And it almost feels like a tangible thing that's just enveloping itself around you. There's just a heavy, rich stillness to it... I don't like this at all – it makes me feel uncomfortable, like something unexpected is coming. _But that's also kinda exciting._

The sheer immensity of the trees isn't doing any help with this feeling either. There's just so much vegetation around here, and I just don't like it. So I cut them all down, one-by-one as I chuckle to myself, waiting for whatever is about to happen. It's simple, really, telling when a Gamemaker is watching you or just planning something that has to do with you.

You just begin to tense up and feel weird, which is exactly how I'm feeling right now. Chuckling to myself as I close my eyes, I exhale deeply and wait. Just wait. That's all I need to do, because I know that they'll send something after me – maybe a tribute – and fill the hollow boredom that I'm in right now.

And my boredom is now nonexistent when I hear the sound of grunts and growling. My eyelids slowly slide open, and what I see in front of me shocks me just a little bit. Not five feet away from me, stood a bear, waiting patiently for me to make the first move. It's teeth were exposed in an angry fashion; they were sharp, white daggers that stood out only second to its most unique feature.

Its paws were rooted to the ground, ready to clobber me if I made any sudden movements. To be honest, that's kind of tempting. See, I have two weapons; this thing has it's paws, and I know it won't be able to handle me. There was just something off about this particular bear, though. It's eyes... They were colored...

It had an ocean blue eye on the right, and a blood red eye to the left. I've never seen anything like this before, and that just kinda interests me even more. So, making my decision without even thinking, I charge straight at it, my machete held ready to stab right into its face. The thing about this particular mutt is that it's nothing like the others I've gone up against – this one's actually ready.

I stab my machete forward, but just as its about to implant itself into the mutt's face it brings up its paws and clasps the machete, holding it tightly and making it difficult for me to pull back. ''Ah, so they've finally stepped up their mutt game?'' I say, staring right into the mutt's eyes. ''Good,'' I breath calmly. ''I need a good competitor.''

The mutt growls, bringing its jaw down to bite at my hand while snarling but I block it by bringing up my mace, left-handed. My mace makes contact with its jaw instantly and draws blood, some of it dripping down onto my machete. The mutt just jumps back, standing up on two legs this time and violently shaking its arms as it brings them up to stop the bleeding.

 _It's distracted_ , I think to myself, just as I begin running straight for it. The mutt peers back down at me and tries to move but it's too late – my machete has already met contact with its abdomen and sunken deep inside of it, creating a large wound that's sure to kill it. Smiling, I rip my machete out and smear the blood on my pant leg.

Tumbling and groaning, the large mutt begins to walk back and forth before it loses its breath and lies down in front of me, dead at my feet. Just as soon as it dies, another one that I didn't notice sneaks up behind me – there was no sound, no growling, no movement, no nothing. And that pretty much startled me. I _never_ get startled.

All the mutt does is poke me; seriously, just touch at my shoulder multiple times with its sharp claws, cutting just a bit into my skin. I just stand there, taking it all as I try to hold back my laugh. I actually thought that this mutt was gonna be as good as the last one, maybe even better, but really it's beginning to vilify. ''I'm getting bored of this,'' I say, rolling my eyes as I stare up into the sky. ''Is this really _all_ that you have for me? You guys are boring, you know that?''

Slowly, the claws begin to descend lower and lower. ''What the...'' I turn my head and peek over my shoulder, watching as the bear begins to poke at my butt. ''Whoa, don't poke my booty, I don't like that shit!'' Glaring down at it, I begin to breathe roughly and slowly raise up my machete again. ''What did I say? You're a mutt, you don't need to touch a man's butt.''

Even though this poking is really starting to make me furious, I'm showing great equanimity by keeping calm. Though I'm not gonna lie, the crescendo of the poking began to make me somewhat worried because of my skin beginning to bleed intensely. ''Dammit, fuck off!'' I snap.

My right hand – the hand that I'm holding my mace in – slams the weapon down onto the mutt's hand, catching it stuck in its skin. It growls like a scared monster, like its looking death in the face. But can you really blame it? Who wouldn't look afraid if I was face-to-face with them? But it's okay, nobody needs to worry. I won't drag it out too long... Or will I?

I slowly remove my hands from the grip of my mace's handle and slowly bring my hand up to the bear's nose, and grab it. This is actually quite fun; a small challenge that'll prepare me for the end – because I'm confident that I'm making it to the end.

Holding the mutt's nose, I begin to twist and tightly clutch it while ripping my machete in and out of its chest. Profusely, the blood begins to drip from the open wound that I've created. The mutt finally slumps over, its ragged breathes coming to an end.

''Seriously?!'' I shout out to the sky, addressing the Gamemakers. Ripping my machete out and flipping it up into the air back and forth, I start again. ''You guys really bore me. I thought you would've given me something that I couldn't handle but it all turned out to be a disappointment, just like your previous Game-!''

A strong force slams into my stomach just as I rip my mace away, and it sends me flying through the air. Literally flying, like I'm a Goddamn bird or something. There are strong winds that blows my hair right into my eyes, blinding me so I can't even see where I'm gonna land. Before I know what's happening, my head makes collision with a tree and my vision begins to blur just a bit.

All I feel now is a huge bump forming on my head and intense pain, but I don't dare to show it. Once I begin to descend, I think that I'm finally landing on the ground until I realize that I'm rolling. My body makes contact with so many leaves, vines, pebbles, rocks, you name it. Knowing the pain that I'm receiving from this, I can tell that my body is gonna instantly start bruising.

Finally, I actually begin to descend, but it's down this large stream of water that's heading downhill – shit, it's probably a waterfall! ''Shit!'' I croak, still holding onto my weapons. I've been falling for so long now that I'm afraid I'm gonna land on-

 _Splash!_

Being unprepared for the landing, I splash straight into the water and gulp in so much water, basically overflowing my mouth. Much of it seeps out but that doesn't matter because I'm holding my breath and can't breathe! I never took a huge breath before I landed, so as you can imagine it's quite difficult to do anything at the moment – that is until I open up my eyes and look at how far under the surface I am.

Trust me when I tell you that I felt like District Four tribute when I swam back up to shore, where I was able to throw up all the water that was being held in my mouth and let everything out. I've been coughing for such a long time now that I don't think it would be surprising if anyone were to come and find me. But luckily I have my weapons with me-!

''My weapons!'' I snarl, still throwing up as I turn my head to the right just to catch a glimpse of my mace and machete floating towards me. Currently I'm holding onto a large branch, trying to maintain my balance so that I don't roll back down into the water. The blood that was on my machete is now washed into the water and is completely clean – like I didn't kill anything at all.

 _Come on, that's it. Just a little bit closer_ , I reach into the water and grab the handle. ''Got 'em!'' I hear a female's voice – one that I've heard far too many times... Two metallic figures darted through the air and ram themselves into my upper and lower shoulder.

Letting out a howl of pain, I began to yell out multiple obscenities. ''Agh, what the fuck?! What is this shit?! Are you fucking kidding me, you dumbass bitch, what is wrong with you?!'' I've yet to see who shot the arrows, but I have a pretty good feeling that I know who it is.

I look up at her, a grimace on my face and my eyebrows furrowed, and glare at Isha as she poises a futuristic looking bow in her hand. Now grinning from ear-to-ear, I let out a couple of words.

''So you're back, eh? I'm gonna fucking murder you.''

* * *

 **Parvati Hallows, 18;**

 **District One Female**

''Why are you being so quiet?'' I ask Mickaela, hoping to get a response. We haven't spoken in days, if I'm telling you the truth. She's just been sticking around, maybe because of me forcing her to. Well, I wouldn't really call it forcing, but more of... what's the word? I can't even think of it.

It doesn't matter, though. Mickaela's just here for my own personal gain, my own benefit. I've seen the ways she's looked at me, and I just know that she absolutely despises me for not caring much about the other two. Anaya's death was a misfortune, but that doesn't mean I should care all too much about the girl. She's in a better place now, so we should be happy for her.

And Paisly. Well, I never liked Paisly. She was always just there but Mickaela apparently doesn't like the fact that I didn't even flinch when seeing her face in the sky – but why should I have? She only dragged this alliance down and gave me silent threats, looking as if she was going to strike at me with her weapon and kill me.

What great allies to have, right? But that doesn't bother me, because the two burdens are dead and gone. Mickaela has equipment, I need equipment. Call what I'm doing wrong, but this is a big girl's game, and you gotta do what you gotta do to survive. ''Isn't that right, Mickaela?'' I blurt out, puckering my lips as soon as I said it.

She doesn't say anything, not even a mere glance to see what I'm talking about. Should I care, though? No. Do her actions matter? Kind of, but they won't get the best of me, and I know that I won't get the best of her – she's a strong little girl who can stand on her own, but for how long, exactly?

''Here,'' I hear Mickaela say, but her voice isn't cheerful and proud; it's distant and grumpy. ''Take this apple,'' she demands, cutting it into slices with her kukri. Keeping my mouth shut, all I do is stare down at her, not sure of what to say or do. ''You need to eat, don't you? And isn't that what you're basically keeping me here for, your own personal gain? So why don't you stop looking at me like that and take the damn apple.''

''Well,'' I chuckle to myself, talking four individual apple slices. ''Thank you, I appreciate the food. And don't bring up the personal gain thing. This is an alliance, okay? We're in this together, I promise.'' _No you don't._ ''If I wanted to use you for my own personal gain I would've killed you by now, taken all of your sponsor equipment, and received my own after ending your life. Don't get it mixed up again.''

''Whatever.'' Mickaela scoffs. She rolls her eyes and begins to pick up her pace as we walk, not knowing where we're going but hopefully it's anywhere positive. Although, somehow I feel as if where our destination is, it isn't gonna be anywhere good. Life-threatening, probably.

''Can we take a break?'' She asks, barely looking at me from the corner of her eye. She stops walking where as I continue to. ''I'm serious. We've been walking for so long now that I'm tired of it. My legs hurt, my arms are sore, and my clothes are sticking to my body because of the humidity here.''

''I get how you're feeling, I really do, but no,'' I sighed. ''We gotta keep moving and hunt down more tributes. It's been six days and more than half of us are still alive. I'm tired of these Games and just want them to end already, so as you can see, I'm in a hurry to end this once and for all.''

''If you're in such a hurry then why don't you just kill yourself and get it over with?'' Mickaela growls, a bit of fury coming from the little girl. ''I'm sure they would go by quicker if you died, that'd be one more person out of the competition. So do us all a favor and, you know, slam that weapon of yours into your own head!''

Her words were actually pretty hilarious. Because of them, my laugh echoed throughout this creaking shack that was created by nature. The thing about this forest that makes me so comfortable is that it was a reminder that things could always be much, much worse. Mickaela was just the beginning of my problems, and I really don't care much about her. ''Sorry, I'm in it to win it. Although I wouldn't mind if you picked up that little butcher's knife of yours and shoved it in your throat.''

''Can you just shut up?!'' She blurts out, clenching her fists. ''I'm honestly quite tired of your crap. You talk too much, and I think you should just shut up! You're obviously taunting me on purpose, you've been doing that for the past two days. Just leave me alone!''

''Ask and you shall receive,'' I respond.

''Good.''

''Can you just shut up?!'' Mickaela's voice rings again. ''I'm honestly quite tired of your crap. You talk too much, and I think you should just shut up! You're obviously taunting me on purpose, you've been doing that for the past two days. Just leave me alone!''

''Didn't you say that already?!'' I say, quickly turning my head back as I stop in my tracks. ''I knew you were annoying but I never figured for you to be repetitive.''

''That wasn't me.''

''Oh, yeah, of course it wasn't,'' I retaliate sarcastically, rolling my eyes. ''Because someone else definitely has the same voice as you and-''

Dammit. When I stopped talking I turned my head to the left, only to see something I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing. I should've seen something like this coming from the small hints that were given – the unnatural, choking mist that spiraled and swirled on the forest floor was the first thing that spoke of a strange sort of wrongness.

The properties of it felt like maggot-like texture of the eyes of a dead man ready to burst at the slightest touch. The smoke was soundless and only parted to swallow up our feet as we both stood still. There was a sound of dead and mushy leaves that whispered from under the skin of the mist and out came the source of those noises.

Standing in front of us are three giant apes that were much more taller than I was – let alone Mickaela's height. The girl was basically shaking in her Arena sandals as she stared up at the three mutts. She tried to move her legs but something was stopping her from doing so. There was adrenaline pumping through her veins, I could tell.

Then, when I tried to move did I realize that I was trapped, too. The mist that was swarming our legs kept us locked here. ''Use your knife!'' I yelled out at her but she was just in shock. ''Mickaela! Stab at your legs or something so you can get more blood pumping throughout your body, then free me! Hurry up!''

She finally listens to me and stabs at her arm, causing herself to jump up and begin moving. The mutts stare right at her as she picks up her bag and begins to run away. ''Hey, wait!'' I call out, only just as she passes five feet ahead of me. ''Get me out of here!'' She runs back, stabs my shoulder roughly, probably on purpose, and pulls me by my arm.

A cackle was heard behind me as I realize that I didn't have my meteor hammer on me. Running with Mickaela is sort of difficult, especially because we have no way to protect ourselves. She won't use her knife and she's not handing it to me! I know where my weapon is – inside Mickaela's backpack – but I don't know how to force it off of her. Guess I'll just have to go for it.

Grabbing her by her shoulders, I drop her to the floor and remove the backpack. Quickly unzipping the bag and rummaging through it, I take out my meteor hammer and hand the equipment right back to her. She quickly put the bag on and scurried away as I swung my weapon at the first ape that charged at me. Its fist came so close to my face until I bring up my weapon, using it as a source of protection.

Running backwards, I continue to fend myself off against three mutts. I feel a strong fist collide with my mouth, busting my lip open and sending me sprawling back until I reach Mickaela and bump into her back, bringing her down with me. She lets out a scream and cries out, begging for my help. ''Parvati, help me! My leg is broken, I heard it crack!''

''Why the hell should I help you?'' I manage, holding my hands up to my mouth. When I look up, I feel rough hands grab my shoulders. One of the mutts are literally right in front of my face, and their face is huge! Probably three times the size of mine. Being startled, I swing my meteor hammer up forcefully and slam it into the ape's chest and then force both of my legs into its stomach.

''Because I helped you get away from the mist!'' She exclaims. ''Help me, please!'' She yelped, waiting for me to get off of her and escape with her. I use my meteor hammer to wipe the blood of the mutt onto her back and then get up, grab her by the arm and begin running away. I can see a clear opening through all of the trees, but I can also hear the grunts and murderous grunts of the apes.

To the left, one of the apes jumps from tree to tree, following us swiftly and at an increased pace. The other two were a couple of feet behind us but they're soon closer than we think. Mickaela clutches her knife fearfully tight and I can see the sweat glistening on her forehead. It slowly drips from her chin, and as soon as the tree ape jumps in front of us, she shrieks in a high-pitched noise that takes me back.

She jumps out of my arms and swings her backpack right at me, blocking my vision as I try to see what's in front of me. Her knife makes contact with my leg and I can feel the sharp metal enter and leave my calf. Somehow I manage to choke down the scream that I was going to let out. Mickaela, who's doing anything to escape, drops down and crawls through the mutt's legs.

After that, I don't see her anymore.

She left me... That little shit actually left me! I should've known better, I should've seen what she was planning! Ever since the damn begging, she was always planning on backstabbing me and escaping! Now she has ALL the equipment – and although, yes, it was hers to begin with, she didn't have to do me like that!

She's leaving. She's gone. She really couldn't stay here anymore! ''DAMMIT!'' I shout, gripping my leg as hard as I can to stop the bleeding. ''MICKAELA!'' She probably can't even hear me anymore, since she's so far gone. If I don't die here right now, I swear on my life I'm gonna hunt that little shit down and make her go through hell. She'll get everything ten times worse!

Now all the apes are slowly cornering me, each one at a different area. The grunts that they're letting out make me fear for my life, knowing that today could be that day that I die. This isn't even funny anymore. These Games have been Hell from the beginning, who knew living for this long was what it actually came down to! All the mutts, all the deaths, all the damn suffering and pain!

Fuck this!

''Bravo,'' I chuckle to myself, clapping as I try to maintain from showing any sort of emotion. ''You've managed to trap me and get a little girl to betray me. What are you gonna do now, huh? If you're gonna kill me then do it already, dammit! I'm not gonna play your stupid torture shit!'' That's all I say before trying to put up a fight and swing my weapon.

It misses wildly but I tried, and I won't stop trying until I die. Two of the mutts just let out rough laughs and begin running away, somewhere towards the direction of Mickaela. Turning my head, I stare up at the one remaining mutt and stare at it. The other two have already disappeared and all I hear now are the shrieks of a little girl. _Good. I hope that bitch gets what she deserves!_

''G-Get away from me,'' I croak, slowly crawling away on one leg. It doesn't listen and continues to approach me. Hairy arms grab me by my waste and hoist me up. Struggling, I can't help but freak out and start shaking my body, trying my hardest to get away from this.

The reprobate mutt attacked me in a viscous way as it slammed my body to the floor and repeatedly pounded at my stomach with its arms. Once it was done, and I lied on the floor, bleeding and suffering from my wounds, it began to nurture me and pet me. I was so confused by its esoteric acts – was it trying to kill me or help me out?

I soon realized that it was trying to kill me when it kicked me so hard, basically knocking all of the wind out of me. I begun to roll multiple feet away from the mutt as it just ran after me, kicking me over and over again – like this was a game of soccer or something.

My body soon lands at an area surrounded by rocks and water, and as I stare up I see a waterfall. All I hear are grunts and battle cries. There, standing twenty feet away from me, is the mutt that was just playing around with me and assaulting me. It smiles, and whenever I try to move up it threatens to jump out at me again. ''Fight!'' It demands.

No, not again.

''Hey, guys!'' I hear a voice call out. ''Asyrin?! Bro, is that you?! Asyrin, I missed you SO much-! Wait... Are you two... G-Guys, stop fighting! Please!''

Hero..?

''Ah, crap... They led me here to fight... And now it's four Careers, all but a couple of meters away from each other. How am I supposed to survive this? It's basically three on one...''

* * *

 **Hero Kane, 17;**

 **District One Male**

''Guys, come on, stop fooling around.'' I say, jumping in between Isha and Asyrin. Asyrin just stops his machete from landing right in between my shoulder blades and steps back a little, while Isha just caught the end of a red arrow on her bow. ''Look! W-We're all back together! This is awesome!''

''Hero!'' Asyrin shouts, grabbing me by my shoulders and wrapping me around in a hug. ''Tell me what this bitch has been doing to you these past couple of days. Just give me the word to continue and I'll kill her in an instance, got that?'' He pushes me back and nods his head, staring straight into my eyes.

Turning towards Isha, I smile at her. ''Her. Do anything to me? No, she's been the best partner I could ever ask for. Trust me, I bet you'd think the same if you got to know her better. I'm not really much of a fan of you two fighting, even though sometimes it can be interesting, but I hope you two can get along. Because, well, now that you're back, I want you to rejoin the alliance...''

''What?!'' Isha shouts from behind me, quickly running towards me and pulls me back. She drags me by my collar until we're a good fifteen feet away from Asyrin. ''You can't possibly mean that, can you?'' She whispers in my ear. ''Babe, it's Asyrin! You've seen what he can do... I don't know if you can actually trust him.''

''Don't worry,'' I chuckle to Isha, placing my forehead right onto hers and stare into her eyes. ''I'm sure we can trust him. Asyrin's always been kind around us. I'm just... I'm sure if you two got along well, we could all work together. Just give him a chance, please? If it doesn't work out well, then we can... Well, we can separate.''

''By separate, you mean..?''

''I mean we'll leave- we'll leave Asyrin and stay together like we've been doing these past three days, okay?'' Isha smiles at me and nods her head, then I lean in for a kiss and give her a quick smooch to the lips. As I pull back, she wraps her arm around me neck and brings me into another kiss, where my cheeks light up brightly and I begin to smile intensely.

''Okay, I trust you with this,'' she agrees, letting me go. Turning around, I stare at Asyrin and he has his hands placed on his hips. ''So, Asyrin...'' Isha says nonchalantly. ''Would you... You wanna rejoin the-''

''Aw, you two come to a compromise? Of course, I'd _love_ to join your- no, I mean _my_ alliance again. From now on, we're not separating, and we do what _I_ say we do, got it?'' Smiling at Asyrin, I shake my head and just agree. I don't really care who's leading as long as we're all together again – that's all that really matters.

Isha doesn't say anything, though, and she looks sad. I place my hand on her shoulder and just smile. ''Hey, it's okay. He can lead. Being leader doesn't matter. What we do is what matters, okay?'' I reassure her, and then she looks up at me brightly, with determination in her eyes. After that, I jog towards Asyrin but end up falling as soon as I get two feet away from him and end up latching myself onto his shirt, bringing him down with me.

''Whoa!'' Asyrin yells, dropping to the floor with his mace and machete in hand. Asyrin's machete lands right next to my ear and slices open my cheek. ''What the hell?!'' Both Asyrin and Isha gasp; I don't do anything besides laugh. ''Hero, come on, man. You gotta stop fucking around sometimes. You almost made me cut deeper into your face. If it was anyone else, I would've surely forced the weapon into them instead of trying to pull it back. You're lucky, man, but don't do that again.''

''Seriously, Hero, please don't,'' Isha says, her voice faltering just a little bit, but she soon regains it. She slowly paces herself towards me and cups my face in both of her hands. ''Don't scare us like that again, sweetie.'' I apologize to the both of them, although can't help but laugh at the same time. It was just a little joke, and I hope I don't scare them like that again. Though, it was kinda funny, I can't lie.

''So, you guys got any bandages or whatever?'' Asyrin asks, holding onto his shoulder. ''Your girlfriend over here shot me in the shoulder with two damn arrows, and now my shit is wounded. I need something to wrap it up so that my blood stop-''

''Fight!''

Turning our heads to the left, we all see a girl on the other side of the waterfall stream. Looking closer and trying my best to enhance my vision, I notice that it's Parvati. And there's a mutt right behind her – it's not attacking her, but just keeping her there. But why would it be...? _They want a fight._ That thought frightens me. ''What! Wait, guys, don't-!''

Too late. A few seconds before I even let those words out, I saw Asyrin crossing the river already, forgetting the bandages that he was asking for – even though we didn't have any in the first place. ''Wait, Asyrin, no!'' I call out. Then I turn around and look at Isha, my eyes widened in shock. ''Isha, please! No, he's gonna kill her. He's gonna kill Parvati!''

She shakes her head and lets out a deep breath. ''Hero, I'm sorry. You must understand, though. She's no longer a Career. She removed herself from the pack ever since she separated from us at the Bloodbath. She removed that option herself, and now she's paying the price for it. We can't feel any mercy for her, and the Capitol wants a fight – you can see that with the mutt blocking her way. Just look at her.''

Watching closely, I see Asyrin almost reach Parvati. He places the handle of his mace in his mouth and reaches out for a large rock in the water, hoisting himself closer to Parvati. She realizes how close he is and jumps back but then bumps into the mutt, who pushes her closer than where she was before. Asyrin is within reach of her just as he grabs onto the rock that's literally right in front of her.

She sees this and kicks at his fingers, but that doesn't stop him from swinging his machete out at her leg. It embeds itself right into her ankle. Parvati lets out a terrible cry that startles me. And when I think things can't get any worse, I see Isha now swimming in the water, only a bit slower than Asyrin but she also makes her way there. Parvati doesn't notice as Isha sneaks up to the right of her and slams her fist right into her jaw.

Parvati stumbles back, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth and stop herself from bleeding. ''GUYS!'' I shout out, jumping into the water and doing my best to swim towards them – I've never been the best at swimming, so it takes me a bit of time to get there. And by the time I do reach them, both Asyrin and Isha are fighting Parvati at the same time. ''Please stop!''

Asyrin, who continues swinging mercilessly, turns his head and looks at me over his shoulders, with a devilish smile on his face. Asyrin's eyes told his tale of death and destruction. His eyes were bloodshot with lack of sleep, with a band of slate gray circling his dilated pupils. His stare was murderous and unforgiving, empty and frozen. His stare seemed to reach down into my soul, through my very being, destroying all traces of hope. His eyes prepared me for the death of yet another tribute – they told them in a way that words couldn't express.

His eyes make me want to run, make me want to get out of this Arena. I never thought that I would've seen something so vicious ever before in my life. ''I'm thirsty for blood.'' With those words, I knew everything would be ending soon, but I didn't want to think about it. I wanted to take it as a joke, to play it off as something unimportant; to remove the thought from my mind and tell myself that this assault would soon stop – that him and Isha would both stop attacking Parvati.

''Be prepared, Hero,'' Asyrin warns. I don't even look at him, but instead at Isha, who swings her bow at Parvati's head, with her blocking it with her arm. It cuts some of her skin just as Asyrin tries to behead her. Parvati ducks, and while Isha turns her head to give me a look of pity, Parvati sends her fist flying into Isha's face as an act of revenge. Parvati grunts, bringing her knee up to Asyrin's gut. He only smiles.

''B-Be prepared! Yeah,'' I chuckle nervously. ''F-For what..?'' I ask, knowing fully well what the answer is gonna be. Asyrin doesn't hesitate with the words and gets right to it.

''For the death of your District Partner here – Parvati!''

''Why? Is she sick?'' I ask stupidly but on purpose, waiting for Asyrin to just stop and tell me, 'Yes, Hero. It's all just a joke, we wouldn't really kill her,' but that isn't happening.

''No, fool, we're gonna kill her,'' his words come out seriously, and my heart skips a beat. ''And everyone else in this Arena, too.''

''Fuck off!'' Parvati headbutts Asyrin in the mouth, causing him to bleed out. He's shocked by her actions, and as he's taken back, she swings her meteor hammer right at him and it slams into his jaw. Asyrin lets out a howl of pain just as Parvati then punches him in the throat, and brings him down to the floor, sitting on top of him as she removes the machete from his hands.

She forcefully shoves it down, but Asyrin brings his right hand up to block the machete from entering his neck. It's lodged in his hand and cuts deeply into his palm, making him bleed out instantly. ''Can you just die already?!'' He trudges, trying to get up. Parvati doesn't let him, though, and just punches him the face, over and over again. ''Trust me, I know it sounds sordid, but you'll be rewarded when I kill you! You'll be set off to a better place!''

''Fuck that!'' She yells at him, using her meteor hammer to stop Asyrin from bringing up his mace by slamming it down onto his left hand. He howls again, but doesn't give up. I watch as he uses all of his abdomen strength to throw her off of him and recollect himself. They charge at each other, but not until Isha grabs Parvati by the back of her hair and slams her back down to the ground, and stomps on her face.

Like a group fight, except Parvati is by her lonesome, Asyrin and Isha both beat down on Parvati. Asyrin continuously kicks at Parvati's face while Isha kicks her meteor hammer away. It slides across the floor, and I'm beginning to lose all hope. _My District Partner's gonna die. She's gonna die!_

So many thoughts are going through my mind right now: how are Gari and Reese reacting to this? What is District One thinking? Is the Capitol really enjoying this? Is anyone else watching? How do I stop this?! WHAT DO I DO?! ''GUYS, PLEASE STOP!''

Parvati seems to be giving up, but somehow, when Isha turns away, she pulls out a knife from her pocket and stabs it straight into Asyrin's knee. He yells, screaming harsh words out at her just when Isha turns back around. Isha doesn't notice Parvati getting up right in front of her and stabbing the knife into her shoulders, slashing it down to her front elbow; Isha lets out a haunting shriek.

Once again, Parvati's pulled back, only to have Asyrin's fist enter her mouth. He repeatedly punches her in hits of torment. I just don't understand _why_ this has to happen... ''Guys, please! We can... We can all work this out! All of us can rejoin, and maybe we can even go find Domino! We could be the Careers again! Think about it..! PLEASE!''

Nobody says anything. I just plainly watch as Isha grabs one of her regular arrows and pulls back the string, sending it flying into Parvati's shoulder. Everyone is bleeding all over the place – and never did I think I'd actually see a Career battle. Even though I'm not fighting, I can't help but find it difficult to breathe. Like, all of this is actually happening. I wanted to take it as a joke, but I just CAN'T! This is _actually_ happening!

Asyrin, seeing Parvati fumbling and breathing roughly, grabs her by her collar and brings her close to his face. He stares right at her with the same murderous glint he had before, with no emotion on his face. Behind them, Isha runs up and slams the bow that she received as a sponsor gift into the back of Parvati's head. Parvati's head flinches and bleeds out. Soon, she's staring right at Asyrin, breathing all over him as she stands tall, not faltering or letting them get the better of her.

Lifting her up into the air, Asyrin gives Isha some type of sign – probably something that they give each other back in District Two that's universal for them all. Isha just gulps, nodding her head before she takes a look at me. I'm on my knees now, staring up just as I see Asyrin brings forward his machete. ''Get... off!'' Parvati spits. She coughs blood all over Asyrin's face, but he doesn't give a damn. ''Leave me alone!''

''Three...'' Asyrin says, counting down to one. ''Two...'' He clutches the machete tighter, aiming it at an awkward angle. Isha has a two purple-colored arrows in the strap of her bow, pulled back and ready to be sent soaring through the air. ''One!'' Asyrin says with excitement.

''STOP!'' I yell, running after them, but only end up tripping. Isha sends the arrows flying, and as Parvati shakes in Asyrin's grip, kicking at his body in the air, the arrows pierce right through her lung and spleen, while Asyrin's machete stabs into her lower abdomen deeply. It sinks itself inside until Asyrin pulls it out and drops her.

''NO!'' I yell, crawling frantically over towards Parvati. She lies down on the floor, coughing up blood and breathing heavily. She can't catch her breathe, not even a glimpse! Forcefully, I grab Parvati's hand and place it on my lap, crying as she stares up at me. ''Please, no..! We've been through so much. Remember, please! I know we weren't allies here, but we did so much in the Capitol! Don't leave, please!''

I'm crying hysterically now, and I don't think anybody is able to hear exactly what I'm saying. Parvati does, though, I think. But it hurts. It hurts so, so, so much..! Why her of all people and not me?! ''Why did she have to get hurt, someone tell me, please! Please! The Train Rides, Training Days, when we ate, the day before the Games. Parvati, please remember! Try to survive, for me! W-We can get you fixed up. W-W-We can! I s-swear it, we just need sponsors, right? W-We need some sponsors, guys!'' I yell out into the Arena air. ''C-Come on! ONE OF US IS DYING, HELP US! HELP US, PLEASE!''

''Hero...'' Parvati chokes out. She slowly wraps her arms around my waste, where my knife belt is located, and removes one of the knives that I carried. She holds out her hand, waiting for me to grab it; and just as I do, she grabs mine tightly and places the knife in it. ''Please...''

No... No! _No no no no no no no no no no no no no!_ This couldn't be happening! She couldn't possibly be asking me to kill her... ''P-Parvati..! I-I-I can't..! Please, please don't ask me to do this. P-Parvati-!''

''Kill me, Hero!'' She uses all of her strength just to say those words. I feel my eyes tearing through their sockets, ready to be shot out. ''Trust m-me... T-This is what I want... My time is over... I-I-I tried... Yo-You'll be rewarded for this kill... And when you- when you get to the f-finale, with Isha and Asyrin...'' She places her hand on my shoulder, then slowly brings it up to my neck and brings my face to hers so that I can hear her. ''Either you or Isha is gonna come out on top... Please, just let it be you... For me...''

Frozen in place, I think about everything that's happened so far. All of my memories with Parvati, with Gari and Reese together, with how we reacted to every situation – all of it is flashing right before my eyes as Parvati places my hands together, clutches them tightly, and utters her last words as she kisses me on my cheek, staining it with her blood, before forcing me to stab her in the neck with a knife: ''Please make it quick.''

My hands move down uncontrollably, and as my knife makes contact with her neck and enters her trachea, she lets go and leaves me to finish the rest. Crying and shouting out curses like I've never done before, I repeatedly stab Parvati in the neck, even after the cannon's rung. Her blood splatters all over me as I finally remove the knife and listen to the disgusting _squelch_ sound of her skin.

She stopped moving minutes ago, but I continued. I... I... I'm a killer. I ended her pain and suffering, but I killed her. I'm a murderer now – a killer. I never wanted to hurt anyone, to kill anyone; I never thought that I would take someone's life. But we were rewarded for it with a sponsor gift of food. Though that gift won't ever take away the pain that I'm feeling right now. I killed someone – my own District Partner – and her blood will be forever scarred on my body until the day I die.

''That's a group kill, right?'' Asyrin shouts out into the air. ''I totally did all the work, give me credit for that – Hero just finished the bitch off!''

''Shut up!'' I cry, feeling their stares on the back of my neck. I feel so different now. I'm not... I just don't feel right. Something's bad. This is all so wrong! Why did they ever bring me back to life?! I should've just stayed dead! I just... I never expected things to be this terrible..!

And that's why I take off running and leave the alliance behind. I don't deserve to live!

* * *

 **Zahra, 16;**

 **District Nine Female**

I'm pissed, infuriated, completely done with this shit. Everything that's happened up till now, I'm just done with it all. I've tried so hard to not get angry, to keep my temper down, but it just doesn't work. Usually my anger goes away as quick as it came, but this is just something else. Now I'm standing literally fifty feet away from a Career, and I can't do a damn thing about it except for fight.

He just stares at me, swinging his nunchuck around as he approaches. I wish I could just run and go hide, but they won't let me. They led me here on purpose. Isn't it ironic how he and I got to the beginning of this large field at the same time. My surroundings are just... It's something that I've never seen before.

All around the Career boy and I are mushrooms – giant mushrooms. They're like trees themselves, except they reach further up than the trees do. These things are in various colors with some being polka dotted, others having nothing but stripes, and even some that have water dripping from the top of them. Whenever I stare up, all I see is the undergrowth of the mushrooms. It's like an umbrella clouding my field of vision to the sky.

What I want to do right now is escape or climb one of them, but the thing is I can't. On top of the mushrooms there are _many_ mutts. Monkeys bang their chests and howl as they watch the Career boy and I face each other, and every time one of us dares to take a look at them they jump. One was on me just a couple of minutes ago until I reached her.

And to make matters worse, there's a deadly fog that's surrounding the outside fields – so there's absolutely nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. The sky has become so ominous and all the beautiful color to it has washed away. It's now just gray and black, leaving us with total darkness. There are light sources coming from the mushrooms, but that's just the bloodied yellow teeth of the monkeys. Some of them even begin to attack each other, letting out horrendous shrieks.

Behind the Career boy I can see a path, and it leads to who knows where. He came from there, obviously looking for someone – and I can tell that by the words he lets out: ''You're not Asyrin...'' Shrugging, I look up at him, trying my best not to let the fear of being killed take over me. ''Where is he?!'' Keeping my mouth shut, I don't say a word and watch as he slowly approaches me.

This is when the mutts _all_ begin to fight, anxiously waiting for us to get a brawl on or something. Some music begins to play, and I have no idea where it's coming from, neither can I see the source of its location because of the darkness that's enveloping itself over us. ''I'm gonna kill you,'' mutters the Career boy. From District Four, I think he was. He looks up at the sky one last time, smiling to himself as a cocky grin forms from the edges of his mouth. The clouds begin to come together, looking like one giant monster with the features of a person's face.

A mouth forms, and soon it opens. Once it does, a string of lightning comes shooting out its mouth, making me shake out of my outfit. Not literally, but you get the point. I want to put myself in this guy's shoes, to see where he's coming from and why he would want to kill me, but I just can't. If his excuse is that the Capitol is pushing us together then I don't care – because I don't want to fight, but I have to as well.

I can't keep feeling bad for people. What about myself? I gotta survive, too, whether they like it or not. I'm not here to die again, I want to live my own life! And just when I finally set myself to doing this, the boy begins to charge at me. Slowly gripping the knife in my hand, I bring it up for defense, waiting for the Four boy to get right in front of me.

The beat of the music gets louder, and it sounds like a bunch of drums beating together. It makes me forget my concentration and just as I turn my head to the right, the Career boy grips his left hand around my throat. I'm taken by shock, only to start coughing as he tightly squeezes it. Looking down at his hand through the darkness, I bring up my knife and stab it straight into his knuckles. He yells out in pain, with my knife still in his hand.

He tries to rip it out, but I smack his hand away and end up slapping him in the face, sending the sound of tightening leather echoing throughout the field that we're in. The mutts begin to go crazy now, leaving each other behind to get a closer look. Sweating profusely now, I avert my tension to what's behind me and see that the fog is closing in on the both of us.

''Just leave me alone!'' I say, ripping my knife out of his hand. Jumping back, I make sure to catch myself as my feet land into something sticky and slippery. I look down to see that it's some sort of mud climbing onto my skin and pulling down my leg. It sinks into the muddy area, and I struggle to pull it out. Soon, though, I feel a hand grab mine and a backhand come smacking straight into my face, repaying me the favor.

Squirming and shaking, I try to get away but nothing happens. The boy from Four just punches me and shakes me out of the mud, lifting me up and slamming me to the ground. My head roughly slams into the grass, and now I begin to feel dizzy. Stars are hanging above my head, but they soon disappear when I regain my thoughts. Four stands right above me, but he looks confused for some reason. The knife that I had is a couple of feet away from me, so I roll away.

''What?'' I spit out, coughing as I look up at him. ''Can't see me when it's so dark out? Well, you should look behind you,'' I warn, trying to get him to fall for a trap. ''There's a heavy fog that's a couple feet behind you. Wouldn't want you getting trapped in there, now would we?''

''Shut up!'' He shouts, swinging his nunchuck randomly onto the floor. ''Where are you?! You think you're better than me just because I can't see?! Why don't you stop hiding and fight me, you insolent fool!''

''Whatever you say!'' I cry out, charging straight for him. Instead of stabbing him, I tackle him to the floor by slamming my head into his chest, which makes him groan out in pain and go sprawling to the floor. ''Be careful what you ask for,'' I say. He struggles to get up, now sinking into the floor because of the mud that was once bringing me down.

Now, as I crawl over towards him, more lightning begins to strike. I feel a blast hit right behind me and it sends me flying through the air. My head, once again, slams against the floor in a rough way, causing me to bleed out this time. Peering up, I see the mutts slowly moving towards me through the tall grass. More lightning begins to strike and I see multiple of them getting electrocuted. Shoot!

Turning around, I see an elbow come flying towards my face. The Four boy is bleeding immensely, but I don't know what from. That's when I see his leg scratched up and half of his clothes ripped – and that gives me a hint that the mutts got to him. _That's why I heard those screams._ ''Come here!'' He says, grabbing me by my shirt and lifting me up. ''Can you just die already?!''

''No, can you?!'' I spit in his face. _You're an idiot for doing that. He's only gonna get even more pissed!_ ''I don't want to fight anymore. Just leave me alone!'' I send the knife that I was holding into his gut, watching as an opening in his stomach is formed. ''Let go of me!'' And just as I demand for, he does. He drops to his knees, staring down at the knife that's stuck in his gut.

For some reason, though, I don't feel like it's enough to kill him. I don't want to kill him, either. This is just too much for me to handle. I don't want to do this anymore. Falling to my own knees now, a few tears begin to escape from my eyes. ''Why does everything bad happen to me..? It's like I'm the only person who ever goes through all this struggle. Why does everything that happens to me only happen to me?!''

''Can you stop complaining?'' A hoarse voice asks. ''Because I'm _so_ tired of hearing shit like this every damn day. Just forget it, okay? Your life sucks; all of ours do! Do you think anyone actually wants to be in this damn situation?! We're all tired of this bullshit, so can you just shut up and deal with it?! Do you actually expect to win by complaining?!''

Watching carefully, I make a note as the boy rips my knife out of his gut, letting the blood pour out. I stand up quickly, watching as copious amounts of blood that would be enough to kill anybody continues to escape from his wounds. Why isn't he dead yet? There's basically a pool of blood coming out of his gut, which surely should be enough by now... R-Right?! _But you don't really want to kill him, do you?_

I don't...

 _But he wants to kill you._

He does...

Doing my best to abort the fight, I try to run away, accidentally bumping into the mutts now. Three of them jump out at me at once, biting at my body just as the boy from Four stabs them all in the skull, ripping me away from their grasp. He, instead, makes me stand up on my feet and presses my own knife against my forehead. Not giving up, though, I knee him in the groin and sigh in relief as his knife only scratches my forehead.

Dropping to the floor, I land right on my butt and sit there, looking at him squeal on the floor. A couple of tears escape his own eyes now, until he lets out a statement that keeps me frozen. His injunction was: ''That's it, you're dead!'' And just like that, he reequips _my_ knife and jumps on top of me, bringing me down to the floor. His face is right in front of mine now, but it's definitely not in a romantic way. It's in a _I'm going to rip every limb out of your body_ way.

I feel his cold hands close in a vise-like grip around my neck. The crazed look in his eyes terrified me as his grasp became tighter and tighter. My breath is stopped, but I try my best to fight back, being instinctively terrified about what was on the other side, again. My nails dug into his skin but his grip was unyielding, even with the look of pain on his face. As my lungs began to burn from lack of air, I reached for his face and felt my nails connect with his flesh again. As I became more and more frantic, I began to see dark spots flash across my line of vision. I scratched, feeling his blood splash on my face as I began to feel myself weaken.

My mind became blank as I felt the tears of frustration and pure terror escape my eyes once again. My arms became limp as my lungs started to burn more. I now realize that my time is up, and it was only seconds away before I was dead. There's nothing else that I can do, except for maybe try one more thing.

Doing so, I used my last breath to scream for help. The only thing was that darkness took over me...

...And seconds later I knew no more.

* * *

 **12th – Parvati Hallows, District One**

 **11th – Zahra, District Nine**

* * *

 **Caleb. Hey, sorry about Parvati dying. I remember when you first submitted her, and I loved her so much. I thought I could do big things with her, but that was a while back now that I think about it. Writing for Parvati, I'm not gonna lie, I found it kinda challenging and difficult to develop her. The only thing that I could find for her, like you wanted, was to make her done with the flirting nonsense and turn into a ruthless tribute who would do anything to win. Although, I couldn't find anymore plans for Parvati. Well, nothing too big compared to all the other Careers. Initially she was gonna place 3rd, but then I moved that to 2nd, and then back to 3rd, then 4th, and now I finally settled one 12th. I'm sure you would've much preferred any of those earlier ones, seeing as they were higher placements, but yeah. I actually tried- key word: tried, to think of Parvati as my Victor, but there were literally NO ideas for her in my brain. If she did win, she would've just faded off into the background, forced to become a prostitute by Bengel, and be barely heard from again – and I didn't want that in my Victor. Hopefully I wrote her well. As I said before, she was kinda challenging, but I tried my best. Hopefully that was enough.**

 **TheEmeraldQueen. Aw, Zahra was really a fun tribute for me. She was faced with so many challenges during life and even when she was revived. Honestly, Zahra was a sweetie. I loved writing her, but I had trouble finding ideas for her. I was always awaiting this fight between her and Domino, and I was struggling between who I wanted to win. Having Zahra win would've given me a little spark of development for her and instead of her complaining about how terrible things always happen to her, she would've embraced them and gotten over it. But like I said, not many ideas for her. That mostly would've been it, and she would've probably faced a merciless death from Asyrin, if I had that happen. If I'm honest, I DID think of Zahra running into the Victor spot. She wasn't a huge competitor for me, but I did have those thoughts in my head. She could've gone back to Nine and showed Ashli up. I was always thinking of her outing her sister in something and then gaining the popularity in Nine, and her sister would try to mooch off of her to regain her title. But then I thought about it in a funny way. Most Districts like the outer ones see their Victors as murders, killers, evildoers, stupid crap like that – they would've thought of her as a freak. I had a difficult time killing her, seeing as I was somewhat attached to her, but I thank you for submitting her. She was an amazing tribute :)**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey! So look at that, it's been under a week since I've updated! :D I-I think..? Anyway, screw that, this chapter was so fun to write. I can't even lie, writing the death of these two tributes was kinda difficult, but sacrifices need to be made in order to move on. Shoot me in the head and throw me into a lake now! :U Pull out your violins and play a catchy song, yes! Then we could all, I don't know, move our right hands over our left in unison until someone sets a forest on fire :O Doesn't that sound amazing?! (Yes!) Ha ha, screw it, I don't even know what I'm talking about.**

 **So is anyone gonna bring up the fact that Hero killed..? Like, Hero? Hero?! Did any of you expect Hero to get a kill? Be honest. Lol, I never saw myself giving Hero a kill – and his own District Partner, to be even more... What?! Somewhere a couple miles away from the Arena I can hear Gari screaming at the top of his lungs. Oh, isn't it true what they say? Victors never have good luck when it's their first year mentoring. Wonder how that's gonna damage his reputation... But yas! And the mushrooms! :D Probably should've had Asyrin and Isha fight for a while, don't you think? Oh, and like Asyrin asked, yes, Isha and Asyrin were also credited for the death of Parvati. Shocker.**

 **XD That's honestly all I have to say about this chapter. So story time, I guess? Yes, heckheckheckheckheckheck... Alright, alright, alright. So I was walking home with a couple of friends while thinking about how I was gonna make the Zahra and Domino fight happen, but we stopped to visit another friend who texted us to go into his neighborhood – which happened to be the one we just passed. We heard a huge commotion coming from the park in the neighborhood, and this was like a couple meters down from the school. And there were these two kids fighting over who knows what. I don't know, they were slap boxing or something, but one of them pissed the other off so it turned into a fist fight, and they kept going back and forth at each other. Finally, one of the kids got hit in the face like three times and he started yelling.**

 **I'm sorry, it was kinda funny... I'm cruel for laughing at that, but it was hilarious. And like the ass I am, I began instigating ;-; Ha ha, there was a rock lying next to us, and I chucked it into the square that they were in and shouted, ''Beat his ass!'' XD I'm so mean :/ So then the kid started running away, and I found that hilarious. I'm... As I'm typing this I'm just shaking my head. But yeah, then the kid got cornered or something but then his friend came to help him by pulling the other kid away. But then that kid's squad all jumped in and attacked that kid, and while he was getting his ass beat his friend escaped, using him as a decoy. My mouth gaped open. I was like, ''That's not a true friend.'' But then started laughing hysterically.**

 **But as he tried to run away, I swear half of the kids in the circle jumped in and attacked them both. Watching that unfold gave me the idea for the monkeys swarming Zahra and Domino. And just for that one reader out there, NO I AM NOT CALLING PEOPLE MONKEYS, SHUT UP! Thank you c: And then one of my friends who was beside me pulled out a beats speaker and rushed over towards the attack and just started playing trap and whipping as they all attacked the kid. The entire area went quiet and music was just blasting, so everybody stared at him and I was just crying over laughter. Ah, I wish FF would let you upload recorded videos :/**

 **Wait, but then on Wednesday, we went to a gas station before walking home, and one of these guys that was a senior last year was working there part time and we saw him and it was hype. Lmao, he was messing around with us and had his friends over. There were a ton of people in the gas station and he was yelling. He was like, ''Aye, dip dip dip dip dip!'' Everyone was confused, but then he cleared things up and said, ''This shit's about to blow up! Let's go go go!'' Everyone swarmed away and it was the toughest crap to get out. So me, thinking this crap was serious... Sigh, I don't even know why I did this, but because everyone was running out of the same door, I smashed my backpack into a window and jumped out... .-. Guess who owes money... Lol, they think I'm actually gonna pay. Never going there again, hehe... But it was totally worth it, because people were sprinting out and some people fell right in front of the door. It was the funniest crap ever, holy crap. But this asshole shouted out, ''Hey, hey, stop! I'm just fuckin' wit' you, I'm just kidding! Come back!''**

 **O: And oh, my God, later that day on Wednesday was the funniest crap ever. I was with one of my friends, Michael, and a couple of others and one of them had a taser. This obviously meant nothing good, since he was even more immature than me... And I'm pretty immature :O So I was like, yeah... So Michael asked for me to take a picture of him and all the others, so they put up some lame ass gang signs or something. I was grimacing, like they're not hood, what the hell is that? So then they were yelling at me and asking if I took it yet. I was like, ''Nah.'' So then they were like, ''Take the damn fucking picture already, fam.'' I was like, ''Smile, motherfucker, why you gotta look all serious and shit? Smile for the picture, damn!'' So then they smiled.**

 **Later we started poking at Michael for a girl he liked, and when he described her she looked exactly like a six-year-old girl in our neighborhood. I was so done. So then we went inside the house, and the more immature friend brought out his taser and while I was standing and talking to another friend he zapped me right under my thigh. So I, as they told me, jumped seven square tiles to the right and ran out the house XD They all laughed at me and I was just groaning like, ''My ass hurts!'' And he was like ''Why?!'' And I was like ''Because you zapped me in my cheeks, you shit!'' So then he zapped Michael and Michael was just completely done with this... Lmao, I'm chuckling while I'm typing this.**

 **So then we poked fun at Michael for crying out, and then he looked at Jacob, the immature hoe, and was like, ''Shut yo weak behind ass up before I make you suck my titty, bitch.'' I was done, like my friends are so suspect, I don't understand. So then I dared to say, ''Yo titties swangin','' and Michael was like, ''Watch yo mouth, my G.'' I know, it doesn't sound funny, but you just had to be there. To hear his voice and the way we all said things... This is why I wish they would allow you to share videos on FF :/ I can't do this anymore XD BUT SEE! My life isn't that crazy. :/ I'm reading these reviews like, my life is not crazy at all. This happens to everyone on a daily basis, doesn't it?! There was literally nothing special about these stories XD But hey, I think I might take Reader's advice and create a story with daily events occurring in my life. You know what? I've decided. I'm just gonna make a journal on daily events in my life and sell that one day... Thank you, Reader :')**

* * *

 **...When I'm famous! O: Anyway, onto the questions ;)**

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite POV?**

 **Any surprise deaths?**

 **So now that it's the final 10, what do you think is gonna happen?**

 **Who do you think will get kills in these final two chapters? Two or three, I'm not sure.**

 **''I'm a fucking president and a son.'' Yes, that is another question, just go with it. Yes, I am fine, go with it xD**

* * *

 **DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE WERE TIMES IN THE PAST WHEN THE HUMAN RACE CAME CLOSE TO EXTINCTION?! O: LIKE THE TOBA SUPERVOLCANO SPUED UP TO 3000 MILES OF GAS UP INTO THE AIR. IT ALMOST REDUCED THE HUMAN POPULATION INTO EXISTENT AND- I'm just copying this off of space facts on YouTube :D Lol space facts, I mean Earth facts... Hehe... AND WHAT?! YOU GUYS GOT ME TO 400?! O: WHAT?! I honestly never thought of reaching 400, I'm so thankful right now, like, you don't even understand. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 400 Is like, so much to me XD I know it's not a lot when people have reviews in the thousands and stuff, but just know that I'm thanking you. Thank you all :') Anyways, thanks for reading, I'll see you guys next chapter. Bye! ^-^**


	26. Crimson Blood In The Morning Light

**Day Seven – Dawn:**

* * *

 **Lark McGlacen, 17;**

 **District Nine Male**

It's dark outside like I've never seen before. And with that darkness comes the cold weather that's here, all because I left that desert. I just still can't believe what I saw. Julio's death continues to replay in my head over and over again. Am I the only one going through things like this, or has everyone else in the Arena gone through some type of loss?

I know that Sashen has – I was standing only a couple of feet away from them when Levi died, and it was terrible. But hey, I'm not gonna complain about it, because Levi dying was a g-good thing, right? No, it was definitely not, but... _But get your mind out of those stupid thoughts and think about yourself. There aren't many of you left, now, so stop thinking about others!_

''Right, right,'' I whisper to myself, under my breath, looking forward as I continue to trudge through the rough snow. I can't help but admire the nature all around me, especially with the random flowers springing up from the snow. It's all just so beautiful, and I can't help but feel elated when I'm around it – I just absolutely love it.

My Arena Boots crunched through the powdered snow. Listening to the sound, I take how they detonated like Christmas crackers every time my feet hit the ground. It's all so dark out here, but I can make out just a little bit, and all around me the World seems imprisoned in a pure-white silence. Nothing sounded, nothing stirred, nothing sang.

It seems as if I was all alone, and to be quite frank, I don't mind. I just need this time to myself, time to just get away from all the suffering and such. The lacerating winds had stripped the last leaves from the random trees around this area, leaving them naked and brooding in these harsh conditions. They were wrapped in their surgical coats now, groaning under the weight of the snow.

Occasionally, a great limb would creak, crack and collapse. Jumping from the sound that made me think of an explosion, I look around in an insanely crazed manner and stare up into the sky, slowly bringing my head back down only to realize that there was nothing there. Sighing, I feel just a bit more relieved than I've felt before.

Removing my bag from my back, I quickly rip it open and take out the sponsor gifts that I was sent: a water bottle, a blanket, and a small, curved dagger. Slowly bending down, I descend to the ground and open up my water bottle, taking multiple sips until twenty-five percent of the container is gone.

Finally setting that down to my right, I wrap myself around my blanket and place my dagger by the side of my head – even though I know that it's risky – and try to snuggle with myself, no matter how pathetic the Capitol might think it looks. But I don't even care anymore, I don't think anyone does.

Seven days and only just a bit more than half of us are dead. These Games are taking too long, and I just want them to end. I've yet to get a kill, because I've been hesitant, but I'm really, really tired of all this. It's sickening, sad, depressing and aggravating.

I'm not gonna get emotional over things like this because it's not worth it, none of this is. Crying over pitiful things like the Hunger Games won't change a thing; only killing and surviving will. _But that's what you're afraid of doing, isn't it? You can't kill, and you know it, but you try your hardest and want to in order to survive and make it out._

...Clearly I was wrong, thinking that I could hide all of my pessimistic thoughts. All of this is just so stressful, and I can already feel a headache coming along. Not only is the temperature beyond what I can handle, but just thinking about all of this is really pissing me off. I don't want to turn into _that_ type of tribute, but I don't even know if I can trust myself.

 _Crunch!_

Bouncing up and out of my blanket, I blink my eyes rapidly and frantically turn my head to the left and the right, walking in a circle as I do, looking for whatever made that sound. Finally looking down, looking at what's far under me, I see coils of smoke drifting from the unnecessary pours in the snow that I created. The cocoon of silence was ruptured by the sound of squealing.

Listening closer, I realize it's not squealing, but more of a whistle sound. Something loud, something deafening, and as I grab all of my equipment, I see it. Far, past my normal sighting, but since my eyes are dilated in the darkness I'm able to make out the vision, I see the Sashen – the girl from Twelve – holding up a whistle.

She's so far away from me but I see her; I don't think she sees me because she just doesn't look my way. There's no ounce of emotion in her eyes, and everything seems to be so painful for her – I guess that's why she collapses and holds onto her head. It's sickening, watching someone in a condition like that, but … _But if I care for her and get blinded by her pain and suffering, I could end up just like that, too._

''But I... I don't want to end up like that...''

Inside of me is a tingly feeling, something sickening that's telling me to go over to her and shove my knife straight into her skull... B-But, I don't know if I can actually do that... Killing someone isn't... It isn't easy – you just don't do it on a regular basis and expect everything to be fine...

I feel like throwing up now. None of this is right, and I just feel like... I'm not able to hold in anything anymore and empty my stomach, sending instant pain to it as vomit escapes from my throat and out my mouth. Wheezing and coughing, the noise that I'm making begins to grow louder and louder. Soon, I start choking on my spit until I drop to the floor and clutch my neck, doing my best to breathe calmly.

Finally, after forcing my lips shut, the noise stops and I make sure that everything is on me. My axe is in my bag, but I took that out just in case I'm going to need it. Preparing myself for the venture to who knows where, I start running away.

I don't know where I'm going...

I don't care where I'm going...

All I know is that I want to survive, and surviving is what I'm gonna do. But with this pain in my head, the pounding of my skull and the beating of my heart, I don't know how everything's gonna go. I doubt it'll go all too well, but all I can do is hope.

Just hope for the best and try to succeed. Remember that.

* * *

 **Candice Davenport, 18;**

 **District Eight Female**

Running and stomping my feet against the snow, I sling my backpack over my shoulder, pulling back, and chuck it quite far, watching as it hits a mutt straight in the face. The idiotic creature goes down with a squeal, and taking the opportunity, I jump straight onto it and slit its throat.

 _Conceal the blood, let it drip onto your sword and lick it off!_ As I'm told, I bring my sword up and place my tongue on the tip, slowly sliding it to the left and letting the mutt's blood soak on my tongue. ''Don't you like that? Isn't it just... entertaining?'' I ask aloud, looking off to anywhere that seems like there would be a camera contained.

Well, whatever. If I can't find one then I can't find one – there's no point in stressing myself over bullshit like that. Suddenly, all around me, through the corner of my eye, I notice howling dogs chasing after me. Honestly, though, it's hard to see all of these pricks running around after me because it's so dark, but I can work with this.

Or, at least I thought I could until one of them pounces on me out of nowhere and brings my body down. My sword is lost somewhere throughout the madness of this all, but I don't care. Lifting my leg up, I knee one of the dogs in their mouth, but that doesn't come without a cost – my knee is severely ripped and wounded, and my blood won't stop seeping out.

Now crawling away from them, I'm finally able to acquire my sword again and swing out. My left hand is being used to slap them all away, while my right continues to slice mutt after mutt, but it isn't enough to kill them all. I'm just tired of this bull. All I've been doing for these past couple of days has been fighting mutts.

For seven fucking days, all I've done is kill _mutts_! Not tributes, mutts! Stupid, annoying, retarded, hideous mutts! Slowly looking around, I watch as one of the mutts appear out of nowhere and stand right in front of my face. To stop it from attacking I spit right in its eye and behead it with a single swipe.

Closely observing the next mutt's movements, I pick up the limp body of the beheaded one and throw it right in time so that when the it jumps to attack me, the dead one enters its mouth instead – and just like I planned, it does exactly what I wanted.

The dead mutt gets half of its body trapped inside the attacking mutt's mouth and it begins to choke. Smiling to myself, I let out a devilish chuckle. Although, I'm still not sure about the other mutts. They were gonna attack me at first until they saw the other mutt begin choking.

This is so unlike what the Gamemakers would make a mutt do. Instead of actually helping out the others, they would just go rushing after the tribute. Well, looks like today is my lucky day, isn't it? Slowly standing up, I rush over to my bag and begin running, where I make my way past a large boulder and head towards an area that I've seen before.

I just don't know where, exactly.

Clamping my hand tighter around my backpack's straps, I push my legs further to carry me wherever the Hell it is that I'm going. _Candice, go back and get blood on your hands!_

''But, Father, I can't.''

 _Go back now, Candice! I do not care if you can cannot, all I want is some blood! If you don't, Candice, I will make sure to punish you!_

''Father, just be patient. I promise to you that I will get blood. Of course I will, but just trust me,'' I beg, continuing on with my sentence. ''I know that you're thirsty, but killing the same creatures over and over again gets tiresome. I'm tired of it, and I know that you are, too. Would you not prefer-''

 _Do not make me ask again._

''Please listen to me-!''

 _CANDICE, GO BACK!_

Hearing the tone of anger in his voice set me back, and while stumbling, I loosen my grip on my bag and weapon and drop everything. Suddenly my head starts to feel like it's gonna explode, and my heart begins beating faster than it ever has before. Clutching my chest, I beg and plead for my sanity and my life before Lord Satan ends me. Luckily for me, he stops his onslaught and lets me be, only because I'm his messiah.

''P-Please, I beg of you,'' I cough terribly, almost passing out from shortage of breath. ''I w-will... I'll carry your goals and c-cause mischief and insanity to these G-Games... A-And when I get out, y-you'll have everything you've ever wanted, and we'll r-rule Panem. Just...'' I pick myself up. ''Just be patient with me, Father. I will do big things for you, I promise.''

Without a single word, I'm restored back to my normal conditions and-

 _ **''Tributes! We all know that you've been having some difficulty in this Arena, so, in order to reward you all for making it this far, I present to you the One Hundred Seventy-Fifth Annual Hunger Games Feast. No, we did not give you a warning yesterday, but that's because we wanted it to be a surprise! Now, if you will, please make your way towards the Cornucopia from wherever you are. Trust me, you'd want to... Anyway..! Thank you, and good luck, tributes!''**_

The voice of that Capitol bitch Addison fades away and the atmosphere is filled with nothing but quietness. But now I remember where I was supposed to go. The Cornucopia, and even though it's quite dark out, I know the exact direction I took to get here. It's all replaying in my head perfectly, and I have the upper advantage of getting there.

I'll wait it out and see which tributes get there first, and when they least expect it, I'll-! A terribly high-pitched growl removes me from my thoughts, leaving me frozen and dazed. Growling my teeth in my own bit of anger, I quickly turn around to face the gargantuan mutt, only to realize that there's no way I can take this thing on.

Let's see how this goes.

Through all the frustration, blood and sweat, I've finally managed to escape the mutt with little to no scratches on my body. It was simple, really, defeating such a mighty mutt. You'd think the Gamemakers would make something more challenging, but it's fine. Because now, I'm at the Cornucopia, and not in the open either, but inside of one of the huts.

Staring up, I watch as the yellow shining sun starts rising from the ground. It fills the sky with mighty colors of red and splashes the clouds with endless rays of pink. It was bright and mesmerizing, inviting me to continue staring straight up.

I hate it.

Finally, after hours of waiting, tributes start appearing, and sooner or later, all of them are here. The boy from Nine and the girl from Twelve got here a while ago, while I was planning my attack. The girl from Seven, Eudora, just disappeared after running around the outlines. The boy from One thinks that he's not visible, but I see his face, and arms that are holding onto the surrounding edge of the Cornucopia; the two from Two run straight into the middle of the Cornucopia, not fearing anyone; the boy from Four comes out of his hiding spot and runs right after the boy from Two. And last but not least, the boy from Seven – who actually just got here – looks like he was just attacked by three disappearing little bodies. But...wasn't there another tribute? Forget it!

He falls straight to the floor and starts screaming. ''Auuuuagghh!'' Picking himself up, he drops right back down, blood trickling down every part of his body. From his forehead to his boots, blood is just out everywhere. And when everyone sees that, it's like everything just stops. _Now's your chance!_

Rushing out of my hiding spot with my sword, I ascend it up into the air, holding it above my head and rush towards the three Careers. With an evil glint in my eyes, I get right next to the boy from Four and elbow him in the chest, pushing him to the side. Instead of going after him again, I take the Twos by surprise and slam my fist right into Asyrin's mouth and kick Isha in the stomach.

All three Careers are down on the floor, except for the boy from One who still thinks he isn't visible, and I can't help but laugh. Now, onto the boy from Seven. Walking towards him, I kick my foot straight into his face, making him shout out in anguish. ''ORION!'' His District Partner yells. Placing the tip of my sword to his temple, I slowly lift it up and get ready to stab him until a large object pushes me off my balance and sends my head bumping into a rock.

''Come on, is that all you got?!'' I taunt, jumping up without checking my head. I charge right after Asyrin, the look on his eyes giving me pleasure. He didn't expect me to get up that quickly, and with that slow reaction that he has, he doesn't even have the chance to block my sword from embedding itself into his shoulder.

''Dammit!'' He shouts in pain. Now swinging at me, his fist collides with my jaw, almost knocking me out unconscious. He jumps on top of me, grabs the collar of my shirt and twists it roughly, half-choking me. ''You ready..?''

Smiling deviously, I knee him in the gut and elbow him in the jaw. He falls back just as I get up and see Isha pulling back the string of her bow. A regular arrow and a purple-colored arrow come flying my way. I'm able to jump out of the regular arrow's path, but the purple-colored one hits me right in my collar bone.

Shit!

* * *

 **Domino Reath, 17;**

 **District Four Male**

''You've gotta be kidding me!'' The girl with an arrow in her collar bone calls out to Isha. ''You're gonna pay for that, bitch!'' And just like that, she begins running, leaving her weapon behind. Isha pulls out another arrow and gets ready to shoot it until she gets tackled to the floor, the girl on top of her punching her in the face repeatedly.

Asryin removes the sword from his shoulder and struggles to keep his speed up because of the wound. Everyone around the Cornucopia watches as I run right after him and stop him from saving Isha, who continues to get punched in the face. I swing my nunchuck and hit Asyrin right in the throat.

He falls to the floor, his head bouncing off the solid cracks in the ice underneath and has it ducked into the water. Using my free hand, I grab him by the jaw and dig my fingers into his skin. ''Ha ha,'' I chuckle, staring directly into his eyes. ''Did you really think I wouldn't get you..? Asyrin, I'm going to kill you, do you understand?''

Before he can answer, I duck his head back into water. I'm not going to kill him quickly, I want him to _suffer!_ Bringing his head back up, I wrap the chains of my nunchucks around his neck aggressively and kick him in the face. ''Come on, bitch, choke, choke!''

A shriek escapes the girl's lip who was on top of Isha. Taking a look, I see Hero's knife lodged in her shoulder. ''Oh, my God, I'm sorry!'' He yells, looking emotional. ''I-I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry! I just... I couldn't let you... Isha, are you okay?!'' Forgetting them, I tune out of their conversation and watch Asyrin struggle.

 _ **''TRIBUTES, STOP!''**_ Addison's voice comes back, causing me to go stiff. Forgetting what I was trying to do, I let go of the chain and Asyrin is able to counterattack me by punching me in the face. **_''I SAID STOP!''_** Asyrin also goes stiff and looks up into the air. _**''Thank you,''**_ she chuckles, her voice faltering a bit. **_''I guess I forgot to explain this, but, tributes, please do not fight at the Cornucopia. As you idiots- I mean tributes... can obviously see, there are no goddamn District bags. Obviously there's a deal here, so listen carefully. Towards the south, where one of you originally were, if you continue to go there, there is a Sphinx and heated part of the Arena that contains all of the equipment that you'll need in order to survive the remaining period of these Games. Thank you for listening, tributes, it's everything goes now once again. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!''_**

There's at least ten minutes of awkward silence with nobody doing, or saying, anything – not even the quiet breathing is heard. Finally, the same girl who was on top of Isha begins wreaking mayhem and starts destroying everything in sight. All of the huts that had some sort of remaining equipment inside of them are now destroyed.

''ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, YOU STUPID SLUT?!'' She screams, stomping her feet heavily on the frozen cracks. ''I WAS LITERALLY RIGHT FUCKING THERE, MAYBE A MILE AWAY AND THEY SEND ME BACK HERE JUST TO DO THIS BULLSHIT WHERE THERE ARE NO BAGS AND I DIDN'T EVEN KILL! WHAT TYPE OF STUPID ASS SHIT IS THAT?! FUCK YOU GUYS – ALL OF YOU! FUCK ALL YOU DAMN WHORES, YOU CAPITOLITES, ALL THE TRIBUTES, EVERYONE IN PANEM! I'M GOING TO RIP OUT YOUR SPINES AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR OWN ASSES!''

As the psychotic girl continues to ravage the Cornucopia, the girl from Seven runs over to her ally. She slides on her knees just as he reaches him and cups his face in her hands. ''Orion, a-are you okay?'' Never have I ever seen her so warmhearted, but I don't blame her. She's caring, but that doesn't mean anything – caring only gets you killed in the Games.

Coughing, he utters out his words: ''G-Get away, I'm fine.'' She stares down at him, and then a flash of panic rushes through her face. ''What?'' Orion coughs. ''Why are you looking at me like that?''

''How did you get those cuts and scrapes?''

''What?''

''Just answer the question, Orion!''

''It was... See, remember when Carter died? Well, t-the Gamemakers, they, um... They made multiple clones of him, an-''

''Yeah, I do remember when Carter died.'' She admits, catching the eyes of everyone around her. Through the empty silence, I hear the scurrying and shuffling of small feet. The girl from Ten, she just jumped off of the Cornucopia hill and absconded. I don't know where she was hiding, but I do know that she's going to the Sphinx, and the rest of us probably should, too. _That would be a smart idea._ ''...I remember because I watched you _kill_ him.''

''What?!'' The psycho girl and Asyrin both say at the same time. Without a word, Orion gets up, pushes his District Partner away from him and jumps off of the Cornucopia hill, with Asyrin and Candice both following after him. They both yell out meaningless taunts, and that angers me. He just ran away from our fight without even _acknowledging_ me!

 _Coward!_

He ran away because he knows that I'm _better_ than him, and that I would kill him in an instance. I'm better than everyone here, albeit what anyone thinks! Picking myself up and dusting off the small shards of ice off my outfit, I survey the surrounding area and observe each tribute carefully.

Nine and Twelve stare at each other unemotionally, obviously there's some beef between the two. Removing himself from the premises of the huts, the boy bolts off of the Cornucopia, followed by Hero and Isha. Gritting my teeth, I pull out the knife that I claimed for my own after I killed Zahra and chucked it at Hero's head.

If only Isha was a second late, it would've pierced his neck and killed him instantly. She used her bow to deflect the oncoming weapon and knocked it out of the air. Hero didn't seem to have noticed that I threw my weapon, but Isha did, and she glares at me because of it.

''Shit!'' I groan, wiping my hand across my face to dispel the merciless thought of killing them but failing to do so. I couldn't kill Asyrin just then, and I couldn't kill either Isha or Hero now! ''Dammit, dammit, dammit!''

Now, only two of us remain here on the Cornucopia hill – that girl from Seven, Eudora, I think? And me. If this was on a regular basis I would've just lunged at her and snapped her neck, but no, this is much more. I set my eyes on three specific people, and I'll kill them all!

But why... Why would those cowards just run away like that?! Does Asyrin really believe in that pathetic boy's credibility? There's no way he brought himself to kill another tribute. I don't care if he scored a high Training Score or not, he's pathetic, weak, and a fraud. Maybe I'll just have to set my eyes on him, too.

Over the resonating silence, Eudora begins running away as well, leaving me all alone to think to myself. Before I head out, I go back to the huts just to check for any extra supplies that might still remain. Remembering the Bloodbath, I confirm that there are multiple supplies left – unlike true Careers, we went out hunting immediately and left much behind, and it wouldn't surprise me if some tribute got hold of all the wonderful equipment.

Pushing away the stacks of backpacks, I look for anything that I could use to clench my thirst. My throat's been parched for the last three days now, and if I don't drink something soon I'm sure that I'll die of dehydration. Possibly the worst way to go out these days...

But I'm too good for that. Nothing will be able to kill me once I've gotten my hands wrapped around the victory that I desire. And once I clutch my fists, it'll all be over. I'm done with these Games, and I'm making it my goal for them to end today. Seven days is a long time, I'm just done with all this crap.

I'll avenge Enigma by killing both Asyrin and Isha, and then I'll end the pity life of their lapdog Hero, too! But now, on the tranquil Cornucopia hill, free from everyone else who has already left, a veil of poltergeist-white mist swaddled. I didn't notice this until I felt something crawl up on my legs, sending a shock down my spine.

It was eerily silent on the hill and the reason was obvious. It was here to kill me for not following along with the rest of the other tributes and fighting. The deathly vapor didn't lick the hill's cold floor as the wind was known to do. Its tongueless form wouldn't allow it to. Instead, it warped nature by using its spineless tentacles to trail around everything. Well, besides me.

A hot gas burned the legs of my pants off, exposing me to the wintry cold. A burning sensation soon followed and I watched as my skin soon singed, almost like I purposely jumped into a pot of boiling water. The mist drifted and ghosted, glided and dangled. Then it pounced. Soon enough its milky white substance showed, and it clung to and enrobed everything it could.

Nothing was spared. It snagged and snared every hut and all of the supplies without mercy. It looked ethereal but it sure packed a punch far above its weightlessness. The mist writhed and coiled in delight, its ghostly scarves completely blocking my vision now.

Darts of icy rain came spitting from the sky, hitting me hard against the head and almost knocking the life out of me. They hissed and swished, shredding the veil into collars of isolated stream. Increasing in productivity, fat droplets of soaking rain purged the valley of any remaining mist.

Watching all of this unfold told me one thing and one thing only: I needed to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. And that's what I did. Rushing through the Cornucopia and jumping off of the hill, I smiled to myself, thinking of ways to kill these last nine tributes and end the Games today.

* * *

 **Mickaela Robenson, 12;**

 **District Ten Female**

My life, in relation to the morning, has shown multiple tendencies. In the Justice Building, my parents said I was always a morning person at an early age. Always up at the crack of dawn, I was eager to start my day with a bowl of cereal and a side of whatever was on the TV.

Wow. What good times those were, but now I'm here. Standing in front of a Sphinx's presence. It's almighty roar makes me a bit hesitant on going anywhere closer. But that isn't the problem here. The problem is that I'm struck with pure unadulterated fatigue, and I can't seem to catch my breath or gather strength or spirit.

I don't know what you'd call this – puberty or adolescence? – but I've never looked at the morning the same, unless we're talking about the front end of it. Waking up was always like greeting the morning like a drunk anticipating a hangover. Daylight would have to work overtime peeling back my thickened eyelids, but now... Now it just seems like I can't get any rest at all.

Standing- or should I say sitting in front of me, is a mysterious marvel statue with the body of a lion and the head of a king or god, whatever you classify it as. It's symbolizing strength and wisdom, showing me that only the wisest and strongest will get through.

 _But I'm neither of those..._

Damn! Look at the stupid Sphinx, eyeing me like it's some type of... Ugh! I don't even know what to say anymore, I'm just...

Letting out a deep breath, I close my eyes and clench my fists, whilst biting down on my bottom lip and chewing it. I know what's about to happen: the Sphinx is gonna ask me a riddle and I'm supposed to answer it, this is basic knowledge that everyone knows. But the thing is that I most likely won't get it right, and I want to, but I know I just _won't!_

Speculating the surrounding region, I try to think of a plan to sneak by without being seen, but is that really an option now? Most likely, the Gamemakers have made this thing in order to keep us all here, and if we try to leave or whatever, it'll probably strike out and attack me. Dang!

 _Mick, stop thinking like that!_ My mind tells me. _Just try! Not trying is like giving up, so you gotta do something about it! Your life is on the line, it's all or nothing now. There's no turning back!_ I know that my mind is telling me the truth, but I'm just not sure. I'm scared, frightened, terrified..! _Please..._

''Okay.'' I sigh, sliding my eyelids open. ''I'm ready.''

 _''Then it is settled,''_ the Sphinx says. _''Your question is: A man has two children. If the older child is a boy, what are the odds that the other child is also a boy?''_

Two children... One is a boy... Wait, I get it! ''Fifty percent, right?! If he has two children, then... I don't need to explain myself, do I? He- It's fifty percent! Right?!''

 _''Correct!''_ It congratulates. _''You may now enter..!''_

Opening up a tomb, the Sphinx points me to the entrance and when I get inside, there are already three tributes inside – Orion, Asyrin and Candice. Seeing them here is kind of shocking, but not at the same time. I saw all three of them fighting while running over here, but it was mostly Orion trying to protect himself.

And one after another, each tribute finally makes their way into the Sphinx. The last three tributes are Isha, Hero and Sashen, but Sashen is lagging behind. I hear the Sphinx asking if an newer one-hundred dollar bill is worth more than a older one. Isha is about to answer, ''No,'' but Hero quickly clamps his hand over her mouth and laughs nervously.

''Of course it is!'' He shouts, laughing as Isha gives him a strange look. ''A one-hundred dollar bill is worth more than a older one dollar bill! You weren't specific enough and just said a older _one_ , so I'm guessing you meant a _one_ , right?''

The mutt lets the two of them in, and as soon as they get inside they head for their bags. Hero, who has tears in his eyes, rushes past Candice as she's fighting off Orion and grabs his bag from the counter that contains all of the duffle-bags. Screening the area, I begin running for the table as well, only to have Isha scurry right in front of me and block my way.

She's about to grab the District Two bag until Asyrin is pushed in front of her by Domino, sending him forcefully faltering back into the counter and knocking all of the bags off. The District Four bag shoots open and out comes some medicinal cream and painkillers, followed by a couple of water bottles and a silver pair of dual nunchucks with spikes on the chain. Damn...

Hero rummages through his bag, looking for whatever could be useful, and out of the blue he pulls out a pack of midnight black throwing knives that look smooth, but have no curve to them. They're pointed straight and look kinda dull, but as he runs his finger through the outlying edge, it cuts his skin. I can do nothing but jump back, shocked when I see how easily it cuts through. There's more in his bag, but he doesn't look through again.

Candice, who doesn't even go for hers, gets her sword kicked away by Orion's leg. He swings his axe at her, but the weapon looks crusty and broken down. As soon as he's about to swipe at her again, the blade of his axe falls out of the handle and sinks into the sand where it doesn't swim back up. He looks at her, wide-eyed and mouth agape, when she grabs him by his neck and throws him towards the bags.

Grabbing her own bag now, with the large Eight on the center of it, she looks through and finds bandage wraps and food that she could surely use. There's a plate wrapped in plastic that has a full meal inside, but she just puts that back. There are some antibacterial ointments and painkillers, along with eyedrops. Along with all of this, she pulls out a small book and her eyes widen when she sees it. Now a devilish smile slowly creeps up, and I feel a bit worried for Orion.

He now grabs his bag and pulls out dual axes. The leg-handed one has a dark purple and silver lining on the handle with a black tip, and the blade is shaped in a lightning bolt formation with a sky-blue color to it. And the right-handed one has a red and gold handle with the same black tip, placed in the same weapon shape except it's a light orange and gray at the top.

How easily everyone- almost everyone... has gotten their bags makes me feel so pitiful and useless. Like, why is it only me who has to struggle through this?!

A loud, resonating grunt brings me back to Asyrin and Domino. They're both struggling against each other while Isha doesn't bother to grab their bag again. She seems to have nothing wrong with her, and after searching it I guess most of the items are for Asyrin. She has her bow and multiple arrows; she's perfectly fine like that.

Again, with the fight between Asyrin and Domino, it's beginning to pick up speed. Asyrin's fist collides with Domino's brow and cheekbone, and there's a low crack sound that emits from the side of his face. Domino is sent staggering back, clamping his hand over his bruised cheek, blinking furiously as he retreats for a couple of seconds.

His head whips around and right there is Asyrin, weaponless but he can still fight. Domino is picked up and dropped to the floor, only to have his head grabbed by Asyrin and hair pulled, sliding him across the dirty, crumbly, sandy floor. Somehow, Domino escapes the attack by grabbing Asyrin's leg and clawing at it.

Asyrin jumps back, yelling furious curses as Domino crawls away and grabs his nunchucks – the sponsor ones from his Feast bag. Distracted, Asyrin doesn't see the weapon land right on his shoulder, causing him to yell out a mighty roar that bounces off the walls of the Egyptian-like area. Domino pulls out the nunchuck and slams his elbow into Asyrin's cheek, drawing instant blood as it seeps from his bruised lips.

Another swing is made but Asyrin jumps away and rolls out of the range of the attack, runs over towards the bags and dives forward, ripping it away from anyone else who dares come anywhere close. Out he pulls two machetes – one black, one gray – and tosses his bag towards Isha and Hero who stand there watching. Well, Hero's watching, but Isha's aiming her bow.

Turning around, Asyrin watches as Domino slowly walks over. ''Time to settle a score, you bastard.'' Asyrin purses his lips, turning his expression into an exhausted frown. Domino doesn't have time to react before he lunges forward, getting a machete sliced across his gut. Domino lets out a scream, but it's quickly muffled by Asyrin's headbutt straight to the chin.

Domino presses his lips now, wiping away the spit with the back of his hand. Surprisingly, his eyes begin watering from the pain, probably because of how he reeled from the blow. ''You're gonna die, Asyrin,'' he states. ''I'm gonna kill you, and I'm gonna kill you in a painful way!''

Tightening his grip on the short handles of the ten inch blades, Asyrin inclines his head disrespectfully and laughs. ''We'll see who dies.'' Together now, they both attack at the same time. Asyrin's right machete clashes against Domino's left nunchuck with a spark. The momentum between the two is amazing.

Cheaply attacking, Domino jabs the palm of his hand into Asyrin's throat. He gasps, slamming his eyes shut and comforts his neck with his hand. With the disorientation available, Domino lets out a series of attacks. ''ASYRIN!'' Hero shouts from the background, progressing forward.

''Come on, Asyrin!'' Domino cries, attacking with both nunchucks as the spikes pierce Asyrin's back. ''I thought you were our leader? Is that all you got?! What happened to all that big-talk that you were throwing around before?!''

''LEAVE HIM ALONE!'' Hero yells, but he's too far away to do anything.

''What the..?'' Domino says, leaving himself vulnerable. While being distracted, the boy from Nine comes running over, wanting to eliminate the big competition as he wields the large knife from his Feast bag in the air. Domino doesn't see it coming, but the boy from Nine jams the hilt of the knife into his temple, bursting the side of his head out with blood, and then jabs the blade of the knife into his collarbone, sending out a shrill, high-pitched scream.

''STOP!'' Hero yells, but his eyes are closed, tears blocking his vision, so he doesn't see what's going on. Apparently he thought that the scream came from Asyrin, so he grabs one of those thin knives and chucks it forward. As he does that, Isha pulls back a red arrow and sends it soaring through the air like a falcon. Both Hero's knife and Isha's arrow fly at the same speed, and just as the boy from Nine turns his head to see what's going on, Hero's knife deep-seated itself into the boy's temple, and Isha's arrow explodes as soon as it makes contact with his neck.

The sound of his cannon is overwhelmed by the sound of the explosion that sends shrapnel everywhere. The only thing I can do is duck and cover my head. There's a horrible scent that dredges up some type of nausea, and I try my best not to wretch.

''I can't believe this is happening!'' I whimper. ''Why am I still alive?!''

* * *

 **Sashen Baize, 16;**

 **District Twelve Female**

There was a cannon and an explosion, but I only registered the sounds once I got into the area that everyone else was in. _Nine tributes remain._ But only one can come out alive... Staring down, tears form in my eyes and drop onto the wooden whistle that I received as a sponsor gift yesterday. There was a note attached to it that told me to stay calm and keep my sanity.

If I keep at it, maybe I can win and bring District Twelve another Victor. It's been far too long since they've won, and that drought might have to end this year. But winning means I have to kill... _You mean kill again..?_

''NO!'' I yell, but luckily I'm not heard because the smoke continues to rattle through everyone's ears. Running forward, I carefully inspect a shadow figure that runs right past the body of... Orion and Candice, and it's a girl. The smoke finally retreats and I see the girl from Seven – Orion's partner – heading straight for a Pyramid.

It's the Pyramid to the right, instead of the left or middle, but it's the closest to her. Nobody else seems to notice besides me, and that's when Orion yells out about his bag. ''Where is it?!'' Searching desperately for it, Candice takes his distraction as an opportunity to pull out the weapon in her Feast bag.

Out comes a curved sword with a death symbol in the center of its hilt, and there are three sixes outlined on the blade of her sword – three large sixes. The sword is crystal clear, and there's a purple lining surrounding it. It's probably poisonous, just like the colored arrows that Two has. Along with the small lining, there are two winged-like objects sticking out of the handle.

''Come on!'' Domino's voice screeches, just as he goes to slice Asyrin across the upper arm. Asyrin jumps back, pulling back his lips into a sneer. They both looked like vicious animals out there, especially Domino.

Domino kept attacking recklessly, disregarding the fact that he could possibly lose his life in this fight. And maybe that's why he did die, he was too careless. Just as he swung again, he tripped over himself and lost his footing, resulting in one of Asyrin's machetes sliding upwards and catching Domino under his jaw.

Asyrin's machete sunk deeply into the boys face, tearing through many limbs and cells in his head, causing the boy to automatically throw his hands up to his jaw, trying to claw the weapon out but he was too weak to do so. His strength and energy all faded away like his unfocused eyes did, sagging over to the left and soon his body convulsed one last time before falling limp.

His cannon blasted.

''Oh?'' Asyrin says. ''I thought I was the one who was going to die...''

Candice looks towards Asyrin, forgetting about Orion for a quick moment and charges at him. He prepares himself but she side-steps and charges straight for Hero who's on his knees now, crying over the boy from Nine's body. ''I'm sorry,'' he tears up. ''I didn't mean to do that to you. Look a-at you... Y-You're dead because of me now... I never m-meant to... Please... Wake up... You can't be dead... I couldn't have t-taken two l-lives already...'' He's hysterically sobbing now. ''Please... I didn't m-mean to...''

Hero doesn't see it coming, but Asyrin, Isha, Orion and I do, along with the small girl from Ten. Candice sprints forward, dodging the arrow that Isha shot. Asyrin runs after her, and as he gains momentum on her she lifts her sword up into the air, only faking to actually bring it down onto Hero's neck. She quickly retracts it and Asyrin tries to slice at her back, but she leaps forward and pushes her stomach out, sucking her back in while dodging the attack.

Asyrin's machete slices Hero from his collarbone to his abdomen. Everything is in slow motion now from Candice's demonic chuckle, Isha's gaped mouth, the tears in Asyrin's eyes, and Hero's pain-filled screech. ''Asyrin..?'' Hero whispers. ''Why..?''

Hero falls face-first buried in the sand as everyone around watches. There's no cannon, but there's a pool of blood escaping from the wound in his body. ''HERO?!'' Asyrin yells, tears streaming down his face. ''No way! Dude, get up, please! I didn't mean to do it, I'm... Hero, get up!'' He grits his bloodied teeth, his eyes wide as the sunlight shines on them. ''Don't die on me now... Hero, so help me, if you die, I'll-!''

Isha stands there frozen. Tears stream down her face as well. Everything now is back to regular motion. Orion grabs his dual axes and rushes for the middle Pyramid, and the girl from Ten sneaks her way around, grabbing her duffle-bag from the floor and starts her engines, running away from all the mayhem.

''HA HA, LOOK AT ALL THREE OF YOU!'' Candice coughs, wiping the sweat away from her forehead. There's blood everywhere, from Nine's disfigured head to Domino's open wound to Hero's pool of blood on the floor. There's still no cannon, but you can tell he's not in the best shape, and he'll most likely die soon from all the blood loss. Asyrin is looking at Isha with pure terror in his eyes. This is the first time anyone's ever seen any sort of sorrow emotion from him. ''TWO DEAD TRIBUTES AND AN ALMOST DEAD CAREER! OH, THIS IS JUST SO JOYOUS AND WONDERFUL! WHO'S NEXT?!''

''ISHA, THROW ME HIS BAG!'' Asyrin screams, but Isha stands still. ''ISHA, THROW ME HIS BAG NOW! HE'S GONNA DIE! HELP ME, DAMMIT!''

Candice slowly begins walking towards Isha the same time I start running for my bag. I throw my body in motion, pumping my arms at my sides, allowing myself to build up a bit of momentum. Candice gets close enough and reaches out, grabbing me by my neck and slams me to the floor. _Damn, I was so close, too..._

''What the hell?!'' She says, biting down. ''Are you kidding me?! Get out of the way!'' She kicks me in the head. ''I hate when stupid kids like you get in my way of killing someone... Just piss off and stay out of the way, will you!''

White stars hover over my head as she repeatedly stomps on my parietal lobe. ''Just die!'' My head collides with the ground over and over again, making me feel dazed. I want to scream, but she covers my lips with her hand. ''No, no... I don't like screams...'' Despite how hard I try to escape, it's all futile by how much she overpowers me.

She lifts my head up and pulls her sword up to my jawline, scaring me and turning my body into a pale sheet of ghost white. I want to sob, but I can't, so my suppressed nostrils do that job for me and let out a disgusting noise.

Quickly, she drags her sword across my throat, the weapon sliding smoothly and tearing my flesh apart in an easy fashion. A burst of blood pours forth, and it drenches all over her weapon and her outfit, almost catching her in the face. She licks her lips and smiles sickly-sweet at me. ''How does it feel... The pain? What's it like to die?''

I ignore her question and try to gasp, but only blood rushes out of my mouth. Gurgling noises are heard by not only myself, but by others as well. I catch Isha's eyes and she's trembling; even Asyrin looks frightened.

Slowly, the light starts to fade from my eyes and my eyelids become lidded, heavily and quickly sliding shut. I don't want them to close, and no matter how hard I try I cannot help the fact that I'm going to die. There's a dim light that still keeps me up, but it isn't long before my body begins to freeze.

It's just so cold, but I'm still alive. I know that I am, because her blade strikes the side of my skull. There's so much agony in those two bleeding areas, and there's absolutely nothing worse than what I'm feeling right now.

Finally, after minutes of suffering, I start sinking into darkness. But before I leave, I think I could make out the sound of my cannon blasting. At least I'm set free now, with my comrades, my allies, my _friends_.

I don't feel a single thing as I free fall into eternal nothingness. Darkness all around. That is until I see the faces of Levi and Nathan, both of them smiling at me. And just like that, all of my morbid thoughts and feelings go away like they were never there.

Both of them walk closer to me, their bright smiles making me happy. With tears escaping, I smile and run towards them as soon as I get up, jumping forward and embracing them both in a tight hug.

''I missed you guys so much!''

* * *

 **10th – Lark McGlacen, District Nine**

 **9th – Domino Reath, District Four**

 **8th – Sashen Baize, District Twelve**

* * *

 **Abby. Did I ever tell you that I enjoyed writing for Lark a lot? He was a great tribute with a lot to say, but he was too quiet and never really stood out to everyone else. I didn't find much to do with him no matter how hard I tried to think of something besides having him kill Julio, but that never happened because if it did, I would'nt have been able to do what I wanted with this chapter. He, if I'm being completely honest with you, was pretty hard to develop. I wanted to make him shine and grow out of that quiet stage, but then I also wanted to make him outgoing and lunge after tributes, killing and slicing as he went. But that's where I was wrong with Lark, and realized that would've been the cause of his death. Like he did for Asyrin, charging after him and running straight after without planning or thinking anything out. It sucked writing his death, because Lark was an amazing tribute and a great guy. Hopefully I did him justice, I don't know. I also hope that I wrote him in the ways that you liked, and if you're upset with his death, I understand. Thanks for submitting him. :)**

 **Charlotte. Can I just say that Domino was an amazing tribute from start to finish? I think people always preferred him over Enigma, and the readers liked him quite a bit in the beginning. People started disliking him, but I didn't really care all too much, but I also wasn't sure why... I don't know if I was writing him wrong, or if I was doing something that made him go from liked to disliked, and I still don't know... Hopefully that wasn't the case, because he was a cocky guy who knew he had skill and could win, but he was also overconfident and that led to his downfall. His want for revenge blindsided him and made him lose track of things, which eventually got him killed. He turned sorta psycho towards the end, and I always wanted to do that with him. I just never really figured out how to do that, exactly. I feel bad killing him off because two of your three tributes died previously before the final fifteen, and now Domino's here at ninth place. I hope you're not that upset, but I understand if you're pissed or hate me because of his placing xD Ninth is alright, but hopefully I was able to write him in a way that you wanted. He was a great tribute. R.I.P.**

 **Aaron. Aw, man, Sashen was bae. She was so sweet and friendly, and she cared for everyone that she was friends with. Her small adventures with Levi and Nathan was something beautiful, and I enjoyed writing those three together so much, especially with Sashen brightening the mood for everyone. She was just a sweetheart and that made it even more precious when it came to writing her. She made me smile every time I reviewed her form and started writing her, then thinking of developing her in different ways, and finally feeling amazingly comfortable with her. She was just amazing, and I couldn't get enough of her. Sadly, I didn't think someone so sweet could win the Games. She was too nice and I don't think (in reality) that she could actually bring herself to killing someone again. It would've messed her up, and she only killed Julio to avenge her fallen comrade, friend. If it was any other situation, I doubt she would've even thought about picking up a knife to attack someone. Protect and defend them, yes, but kill them? Nah. At first, if I'm honest, Sashen was supposed to be dead ages ago, but then I started developing her and testing ways to change her character, and then I decided that she would've placed fourth. Unfortunately, I switched her off with another tribute that two of you are aware of. Sashen did big things, and she made District Twelve proud for getting so far. I'm glad that you submitted her, and thank you. If you stop reading, I understand. :)**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys, did you miss me? Probably not, but whatever, it's fine xD Anyway, this A/N is gonna be pretty short, seeing as I'm tired and this chapter is already long enough. Hopefully you enjoyed this, and sorry if the Feast was unexpected. I gave no hints of a Feast happening soon, and for those of you who read District Betrayal or just know me in general, you know that I love having my Feasts early because it's just a great excuse for killing off tributes who I no longer have plans for. Just saying, though, there were supposed to be six deaths here with only three of your tributes making it out alive... and the finale would've been next chapter, but I decided to split Day Seven into Dawn, Afternoon and Night chapters.**

 **So two more Arena chapters and then a final chapter declaring the Victor. In all honesty, don't be surprised if I leave you guys off at a cliff-hanger during Day Seven – Night, because I'm planning on it, and I want you guys to hate me. No, I don't xD But yeah, I'll most likely do that, so just be warned... I'm letting you know early so I don't get PMs full of messages that state, ''If you don't fucking update, I'll track you down and slit your throat, you little shit!'' Wouldn't be the first time XD Anyway, if you wouldn't mind, I have some questions I'd love for you guys to answer. And also, I'm sorry if this chapter was sorta boring. In my opinion, the beginning was super boring, and I know I don't usually do time-skips like that, but if I didn't hurry up and get to the point then this chapter would've been meaningless and filled with no deaths, and I didn't want that. So hopefully it wasn't all too bad? I don't know, let me know what you guys think. Anyway, onto the questions.**

* * *

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite POV?**

 **Any surprised deaths?**

 **Any deaths you expected?**

 **Anything shocking happen in this chapter?**

 **Predictions? Anything at all like who you think will die next, who you think will get a kill, who you think will win? Whatever your little heart desires.**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. Just remember, a light is waiting to carry you home, okay? Anyways, I'll see you guys next chapter. Love you all, have a wonderful day/night/morning/afternoon, whatever it is for you right now. Bye! ^-^**


	27. Devastation, Pain, Suffering, and Loss

**Day Seven – Afternoon:**

* * *

 **Isha Levine, 18;**

 **District Two Female**

I lean up against the surface of the tabletop, being cautious enough not to accidentally knock down any precious artifacts. But really, at this point in the Games, I shouldn't give a damn. I was in a near-death situation earlier today, and if that girl from Twelve didn't get in Candice's way, she would've killed me then and there.

I owe that girl from Twelve... Even so, I don't care much for her death. What happened to her happened to her, and fortunately enough, she saved me. That might not have been her initial intentions, but it still happened, and I'm grateful of that. The only thing, though, is that I got slashed across my waist.

There's a burning pain there, but it's not as bad as Hero's current condition. Hero... Looking at him brings tears to my eyes. I don't know what I would've done if Asyrin didn't push Candice away. Though, in all honesty, that didn't stop her from chasing after us. And I know it's quite sad, three Careers being chased by some Satanic girl, but we couldn't concentrate.

Hero _had_ to be our main priority at those exact moments. Importing him from the bottom of the Egyptian area to the top of the two hundred forty-eight step center Pyramid – yes, I counted – was a difficult task, especially with a psycho chasing after us. Luckily for us, Asyrin managed to grab an artifact and chuck it at her forehead.

I have no idea where she is now, but I do know that we lost her, and that's what we were looking to do. Turning back to Hero's wounds, I observe how little he's breathing. There's a common shortage between his chest rising and descending, and it's utterly frightening to me. Any second now, he could be dead if we don't take immediate precautions.

''Isha, the bag!'' Asyrin demands, placing his hand out. I look at him, he doesn't turn to face me. Anger starts to overflow him, but there's also sadness in his looks, and he demands once again, ''Isha, give me the damn bag!'' Holding back the tears in my eyes, I throw the District One duffle-bag over to Asyrin and he rips it open, looking for cream, ointment, bandages and whatever else he can find.

Through the ripped slash in Hero's outfit, Asyrin opens up a tube of ointment and traces it on the edge of his finger, then he places it on the top of Hero's collarbone, slowly sliding the rest of the ointment down to his abdomen – nothing happens. Biting back my tears, because I'm trying to stay hardened here, I let out a deep groan and jog towards them.

Skidding on my knees, I grab the ointment from Asyrin's hand and use a handful of it, still managing to somehow hold my tears back; crying won't save him, and neither will standing there and just watching. I slap the ointment onto Hero's wound and add pressure to it by squeezing on the cut with both of my hands, even with the blood contracting.

''Wake up!'' Asyrin screams, grabbing one of the water bottles in Hero's bag. He quickly rips the cap off and slams the water bottle onto Hero's head, splashing water everywhere. ''Come on! Wake up!''

There's still more inside, and I want to stop him, but I can't remove my focus from his wound. Asyrin soon comes to drastic measures and drips the water on every part of Hero's wound, and punches him in the throat as hard as he can. There's a loud crunch sound because of Hero's head slamming into the floor.

''Don't hurt him, that'll make it worse-!''

''Shut up!'' He cries, holding his hands over his eyes. ''What else am I supposed to do?! He's not waking up and it's all because of me, for fuck's sake! If I knew how to wake him, do you honestly think I'd be punching him in the throat?!''

''...You didn't- Asyrin, why do you even care? When have you ever been caring? Last time something like this happened, you ended up _wanting_ to kill an ally; and I had to kill her so you wouldn't make her suffer. And now? Now you're caring, emotional, and comforting... What's wrong with you?''

''What..! How could you even ask me that question?!'' He snarls, inching closer to me. ''I look down on the kid, he's like a little brother to me. Seeing him die, right in front of my eyes or dead in general, or even hurt, makes me ache. He's exactly like my older brother – I love them both, they both have talent and are amazing, but they always get hurt in the end. And he _doesn't_ deserve to be hurt..!''

''So this is a change of heart for you..?'' I furiously blink away the tears, trying not to let out any emotional squeals. I'm still treating Hero's wounds now, while Asyrin is standing over me, his machete in his hands. Right now, I don't care if he swings, I'm not gonna die, and I'm not gonna let anything kill me just yet – I can't die now.

''A change of heart, Isha?'' He asks, completely appalled. He drops his machete, not even bothering to strike at me like I prepared – I was honestly ready to block it with my hands, but there seems to be no need. The thought of pulling out my bow from the strap in my back and shooting him was so vivid in my mind. ''There's never been a change of heart, I've only hardened myself and gotten stronger. That doesn't mean I _don't_ have feelings, because I do. They're strong, they're there, and they... They hurt sometimes, okay?''

''Well—''

''You're not the only one with feelings, or something to achieve, Isha.'' He sighs. ''I get that you have a daughter and that you wanna get back to her, but everyone else here has something they want to get back to as well. My families all dead now, but that doesn't mean I can't live on their legacy. I can do that for them, but it's hard now. Just look at how many tributes are left.''

''Seven.''

''Exactly,'' he responds. ''And Hero's one of them. How could I possibly bring myself to killing someone who I see as the reincarnation of my blood-related brother? Just imagine if him and I both make the final two; Hero's not a killer – not by choice – but I am! I... I just don't know.''

''It's okay, Asyrin,'' I chuckle half-heartedly, showing no enthusiasm at all. ''You're not making the final two.''

''Why are you so quick to say that?'' He laughs uncomfortably.

''Because I'm making the final two. Don't like it? Then stop me.'' I tease, but give him a serious face at the same time. I can't keep it for long, as it soon falters with the sweat gleaming on my forehead down to my cheeks.

''Trust me, I will. Sooner than you think, too.''

''Oh, alright! We'll see how that goes for you-!'' I'm about to laugh out loud, actually getting along with Asyrin for once, until Hero's _voice_ breaks us both away from our conversation.

''Guys..?'' His voice cracks. Hero sits up shakily, placing his hand over the slash in his stomach. Staring at him, I'm unable to force the image of him hurting, screaming, _bleeding_ , out of my mind. ''My stomach hurts...''

''Hero!'' I dive straight for him, wrap my arms around his neck and place my head on his chest. ''Y-You're alive!'' He tries to respond, but I don't let him. I hesitantly look at him at first, but then the swirls of emotion in his face that I saw made me gasp. My eyes stared deep into his ocean blue eyes, where I cupped his cheek that was slowly turning red.

Finally my lips touched his. Sparks flew in every direction, and the World was slowly disappearing around us, along with all of our worries, our troubles, and our problems. He made me feel like none of that mattered, and hopefully I made him feel the same.

I felt a smoldering heat deep within me as Hero gripped my waist and tightened it, crushing my body to his, gentle yet firm. He slanted his head further, taking control over me, and deepened the kiss. A kiss like this was only the beginning, a promise of much more to come. Or maybe that's just the lust taking over my body, but either way, I'm enjoying every moment.

I felt like I was walking on air. It was magic, the way our lips synchronized perfectly. It's been far too long since I've kissed him. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than I could have imagined and I open my mouth with a low moan.

''Whoa.'' Asyrin coughs.

''Whoa.'' Hero repeats right after.

I pull away, staring up at him shyly. ''Sorry, I couldn't help myself.'' He smiles at me and chuckles, telling me that it's okay. The look on his face is completely innocent and electrifying at the same time. Never did I ever think I'd see something like that before.

Slowly, my eyes travel down to his hand. He edges his hand towards mine ever so slightly, until I feel his fingertips brush my hand. I unfurled my fingers and let his slip around mine until I felt the warmth of his palm pressed against mine. And with a smile, he chuckles, ''I thought I was dead for a second there, y'know?''

''Hey, Hero, um...'' Asyrin steps forward, his voice shaky. ''I've never been... You know, I've never been great at apologizing, and... Jeez, I don't even know how to say this but, you're... I didn't... You know I care about you, right? I love you, and you're like a brother to me. I hate seeing anything bad happen to you, and I didn't mean to-''

''It's okay,'' Hero says, pulling me towards Asyrin. Unexpectedly, he wraps Asyrin around in a hug and brings me closer to the two of them, engulfing me in the hug as well. So know we're all connecting and warm in each other's embrace.

Like one big family.

* * *

 **Candice Davenport, 18;**

 **District Eight Female**

What a bunch of bitches! Placing my hand on my forehead, I swipe away the immense amounts of blood that emanates from my cut. It burns, but I can handle it. All I have to do is climb up a couple more steps and I'm back up to the top where I can kill those sons of bitches.

Weighing my sword in my hand, I look down at the tree sixes. I laugh a little. ''Hey, Panem!'' I call out, yelling loud and proud so that _everyone_ can hear me. ''You wanna watch three little piggies die?! You'll get your battle soon enough, just make sure to keep your eyes locked on the screen!'' Oh, this is gonna be _so_ much fun. ''It's gonna be a blast! Then, after I kill everyone else here, I can come after all of you! Doesn't that sound exciting?!''

It's like I can _hear_ their gasps and terror-filled voices. ''Nuh-uh, that girl has to go. She needs to die now, I hope the Gamemakers or one of the tributes are able to take her out.'' What a load of bullshit. Placing my hand on the fifth step from the top, I haul my legs up, almost losing my balance but being able to catch myself by stabbing my sword into the rested, crumbling step.

I hoist myself up with most of my strength and pull my sword out of the ground, sighing in relief just as the step begins to break off and tumble hundreds up feet in the air.

There's a large opening at the top of the Pyramid, and I set my sights for what's inside. _Tributes are inside._ I chuckle, letting out a gasp as enjoyment overwhelms my entire body. It's like I'm getting off on just thinking about killing these tributes. It feels so good and I want more of this feeling.

The ancient mullioned opening that I was right in front of cast a checker board of noon sunlight onto the dark walnut floor. I watch as the stubby squares elongate to faded rectangles, as if stretching and yawning. This, for me, is a sign, some sort of signal telling me to continue on.

Sooner or later I'll find those Career bastards. After all three of them die, who's left to stop me? – Ten, the Seven girl, Orion?! Please, all of them will get killed easily. I'd take all three of them on at the same time just for the bloodshed. Oh, the paint splattered blood, the whispers of Lord Satan's voice in my ear telling me to continue, to please him with more mutilated bodies and human blood.

''We should probably leave before she comes back,'' I hear a fainted voice in the background, barely audible but it's there.

''No, I think we should kill her as soon as we find her.''

Slowly inching closer, I place my back against a disgusting wall, being careful to make sure that my backpack makes no sudden noises and clutch my sword between my teeth. I feel against the cold surface of the wall, slowly dragging myself to the right. There's something back there, but I can't see from this far away.

Straining my eyes, I make out the silhouettes of three indistinct tributes. One of them wields two machetes that are pointed to the light, sending out glimmering rays that block my field of vision. Another one has an bow around her back, but her flowing hair blocks the quiver. And then there's one last tribute there who seems to be hurt.

Wow. This couldn't get any better.

It looks like I've found all three tributes that I _wanted_ to find.

Running out of my hiding spot, I charge as fast as possible, my footsteps drawing incredibly loud noise. I raise my sword, ready to strike out at Asyrin just until the boy from One yells out. ''Move out of the way!'' Just as I swing, he pulls Asyrin back and falls to the floor. I forgot all about the girl and she was able to attack me.

Her body meets with my body, and we both tumble to the floor. She lies on top of me, holding both of my wrists down so that I can't use my sword. She flips her hair back over her shoulder and looks at me with a put-upon sigh. ''Are you kidding me? Can you really just _not_ keep away? We got rid of you once, and now you're back!''

''A Victor does what they must,'' I laugh, wiggling my body, trying to knock her off-balance. Continuing the action, I grin. ''Don't fall off or you just might leave an opening for yourself to be killed, sweetheart.''

''Get her!'' She shouts, calling for Asyrin to end my life. Unfortunately for them, they're not gonna be able to. I finally manage to throw her off, quickly rolling over and sitting on top of her. I bring my hands down clutched to her throat, but she's able to claw at my hands and make me jump back. What a killjoy!

I quickly grab my sword, getting prepared to slice at her neck until I feel a strong, tight grip grab my hand. Looking up, I see the boy from Two pulling me up, lifting me in the air with his hand. ''You really gonna just slice at people like that, without even planning?''

Giving him an accusatory look, I watch as the color on his face fades. ''You did the same thing earlier today, didn't you?'' I ram my fist into his gut, forcing him to let me go and knee him in the face. ''You know, I always did want to kill you. You got a high Training Score, I watched as you killed a couple of tributes, and now I have my chance to go at your throat. This is fun, don't you think?''

His face contorts into many different expressions, mostly fear, and it's oh-so welcoming to me. It's like home, watching him back away and act like a little punk after all the shit he's been saying in this Arena. It's very satisfying, actually.

Right as I'm about to swing again, the girl grabs my arm and rips out her bow. She doesn't bother to take out an arrow from her quiver but actually fights me with her bow, using it like it's a melee weapon. I scoff. ''How pathetic. You can't even find time to draw out what you need in order to use your weapon and try to kill me? How much more pathetic can you get?''

The solid bow smacks against the back of my wrist, causing pain to seer throughout that area. I look down and see my wrist bulging, a dark purple color bruising up. ''Oh, you bitch!'' Behind me, I see Asyrin running forward, so I duck down and let him run into his District Partner.

They both bump into each other, yelling out in confusion when I swing forward at Asyrin's neck. _YES!_ Just two inches away from him and he'll be dead in no ti-

Out of nowhere, that small, immature boy from One brings one of his knives up in defense. It blocks my blow and sends sparks flying, metal against metal, three-on-one. ''Can you just get the hell out of here already?!'' He screams, pushing away my weapon. A gasp escapes my lips and I stare at him wide-eyed, closely inspecting as rubble from the ceiling begins to drop.

Flowing right past his face, the dust from one of the frames flies across and blinds the both of us. I hear his footsteps moving, but I'm not sure where because of the rubble. Soon, he leaps right in front of me, swinging that tiny knife of his towards my neck. ''Oh, shit!''

I'm able to throw up my sword just in time and reinforce the attack with the handle of the blade, glaring at him as I do. What the hell happened to that sweet little kid who didn't wanna hurt anyone and cried all the fucking time? He's not hesitant on attacking anymore, and it looks like he's out for blood now. I can barely manage to hold back his barrage of attacks.

''Just get out of here already and leave!''

''MAKE ME!'' I scream. He keeps pressing down against my sword, actually overpowering me. His knife begins to cut a solid pour in my sword and I need to retract. Jumping back, I turn my head just in case either one of the Twos try to jump me. Somehow, he's able to stab me with his knife on the palm of my hand. Blood starts trickling down my wrist but I choose not to acknowledge the pain, no matter how much it burns.

Jumping back, I begin to backtrack and try to find an opening by running away, but he follows after me. Jumping from side-to-side, dodging each of his strikes, I don't even have time to react to the arrows coming my way. Both of them at the same time; one of them almost landing in my leg, the other one piercing my shoulder.

I scream back in pain, losing focus as One continues to attack. My eyesight becomes blurry now, just a little bit, and I don't see his fist encountering my cheek. Sprawling back, I let out grunts and look for a way to exit. I wipe away the drool and barely-there blood away from my mouth, and lift myself up by grabbing onto a nearby cabinet.

On top of the cabinet are vases and glass plates that I use to throw at him. He barely dodges them, but it's enough to distract him so that I can run away. Turning the corner and sprinting away, I continue down a hallway until I come to a path of three sections that divide into deeper hallways.

I choose the middle path, and when I reach the end of the hallway I come to meet with an exit. Staring down, I see barely intact steps that creek with every passing movement of wind. In front of me is the left Pyramid. I don't know what's over there, but there are sounds of horns and trumpets and all types of instruments, except they sound like they're mixed with animal noises.

Whatever was inside comes out, and it's not just one, but a hoard of them. Woolly mammoths storm the left Pyramid, and I hear a scream emit from inside. They're all pushing against each other, some of them actually tumbling down the steps, and some even being pushed out of the steps all together, ending up falling hundreds of feet in the air.

I thought they were alone until I saw a shorter boy come running out, his brown hair swaying in the wind. Something was behind him, and as he continues running, I watch as a sharp object protrudes through his shoulder. He cries out in pain and ends up sliding on the floor now, unable to stop himself from falling hundreds of feet into a barrel of whatever is down there.

There's a loud crash sound, but I'm not sure if it was a cannon or not. Sadly, if it was, I didn't get to kill him. What a shame.

''Where'd she go?''

''I don't know,'' the voice of the immature boy rings.

''Hero, you okay?''

''No. I just can't stand this anymore. All the time, you guys are being hunted or hurt, and I just don't want to see anymore of this crap. These Games have changed us all, and now I can't even look at myself the same. I killed two people and attacked a girl... What's wrong with me?!''

Chuckling to myself, I remove their conversation from my mind. ''I'm getting tired of this, too, boy,'' I laugh, pulling out the Satanic Bible that I received in my Feast bag. I slowly walk backwards, turn into an evacuated room and block the entrance with the shattered materials.

Flipping through the pages, I look for a specific spell that I've tried before: a Demon Summoning spell. Finally, I'm able to find it, and like my regular rituals, it's the exact same method. I don't know what to expect from this one, but I _have_ to do this. It's all for you, Lord Satan.

 _Good, Candice... Please me. Let me take over you, my child. Let me help you destroy them, and soon, we'll have everything to ourselves. All the blood, the destruction, the power. We can seek it all and help you become a God. I shall carry you throughout that path, Candice. Now, you must begin._

''Yes, sir,'' I lowly whisper. Taking in a deep breath, I place my sword against my my left wrist and slice. Then, I place it against my right wrist and do the same thing, squinting when the instant pain begins to make my stomach churn. I flip both of my wrists downwards and let my blood pour on the floor, using my feet to create a six-pointed star on the floor. There were candles inside of the bag as well, along with a match, so I take those out and place them all on each point except for one.

Slowly thinking and feeling exhilarated with my actions, I place the final candle on the center point and pray just as I feel my body lose energy. My eyes become lidded and I feel heavy pressure take over my them. No, I'm not dying yet. I-I can't. I will not die.

Now humming, I smile cheekily to myself and start my prayer. ''Father, forgive me for my childish ways. I look outside and all the clouds are gray. I need your hands to take me miles away. Your wish is my command, my command, my command, oh. Please do my deeds, and relinquish me from all the pain and suffering, oh. Help me end the lives of these final tributes who stand in the path of our goals, and tarnish them with eternal suffering. I offer my life to you, as a sacrifice for all that you've done for me throughout my entire journey in life. You've helped me on multiple occasions, and I'd like for you to guide me one last time. But before you begin, I have to warn you now: what goes up surely must come down. And you'll get your piece but no peace won't be found, so just take me, please. Take me please, take me please. Your wish is my command...''

''...My command, my command. Your wish is my command.''

 **''Candice, I shall help you. Give me your hand and we shall win together. Let me take over now, darling. You have done your job.''**

Forcefully my eyes shoot open. They now roll back and I feel my body beginning to ache. My veins begin popping out and a terrible odor forms from my body. It... I-It hurts... ''AGH!'' I yell out, clutching my shoulders. It feels like shards of glass are being shoved into every aspect of my body. ''HELP!'' I-It's working but it's not worth it! T-This hurts too much!

''HELP!'' I scream out at the top of my lungs. All I hear is a demonic, hoarse chuckle that sends the back of my hairs standing up. Why did I do this, why did I do this? I don't like it, it's too much to handle. I should've never put myself in this situation, why did I do it! It's getting harder and harder to breathe, and I don't even feel like myself anymore. Slowly, I begin to lose my vision and the feeling to my limbs anymore.

It hurts...

Why did I do this to myself?

* * *

 **Asyrin Katchet, 18;**

 **District Two Male**

''Does anyone else smell that?'' I ask, taking two sniffs with my nostrils before feeling like I'm about to puke. ''What is that smell?! I knew that the Gamemakers were foul, but making us go through something like this isn't even sane!''

''I don't know, but I'm beginning to feel nauseous.'' Hero says, holding onto his stomach. ''I can pretty much taste it now, and I don't like it.''

Hero begins walking past the corner now, towards a section filled with three hallways. Before actually entering one of them, he turns back and looks at Isha. A loud growl sounds from her stomach. ''You okay?'' He asks, but not even Hero can maintain his stance as he starts swaying down the hallway.

Isha retches, making the noise that escapes your lips when you _almost_ vomit. Hero spares her one glance as he continues down the hallway, but I can tell that he's not able to control his body. He wants to come back and help her, but he can't resist from walking and I don't know why.

His footsteps fade into the darkness of the hallway. ''Wait. Hero, no!'' I call out after him, jogging closer to the walls. Before I reach it, Hero lets out a terrifying scream and runs out, scaring the shit out of both Isha and I.

''HERO?!'' She screams, sprinting towards the hallway, only to end up falling. Hero comes running out now, chuckling with a smile on his face instead of the terrified look I was expecting.

''What was that?!'' I ask.

''Nothing,'' Hero confirms. ''I just screamed to scare you guys. You should've seen the look on your faces when I ran out screaming. They were priceless!'' He laughs.

''Hero, I oughta smack the shit out of you for scaring us like that!'' I shout, clenching my fists. ''Oh, don't you _ever_ do that again! Now, come here, dammit.'' I grab his shoulders and bring him back. ''Listen, I'll lead, okay? You guys just follow after me and then we'll see what goes on from there.''

As I take my first step, it seems as if everything got darker. All of the afternoon light that was illuminating the Pyramid is now gone, and it's quite hard to see. Sucking in my gut and swallowing my spit, I try to shake away this nervous feeling of mine and continue along the pathway, guiding Hero and Isha down the middle hallway.

The sights that I see are of the most disturbing. A fragment in the shape of a cat's face follows my movements with its eyes. With a non-stop glare, it pierces me. ''Hey, guys. Shh.'' I tell Hero and Isha. I can hear Isha's teeth clattering together, and she makes a regurgitating noise. ''Isha, shut up..!'' Continuing down the hallway, we spot a pile of clothes lying on the ground. It feels much darker and evil over here.

''G-Guys, I don't know what's happening but this is really starting to freak me out,'' Isha says, breathing difficultly and heavily. Turning around and reaching back, I get a hold of Isha's hair when I was looking for Hero. ''Asyrin, what are you doing?''

''Where's Hero?!''

''Over here!'' Hero says, just as a vase falls off one of the counters. ''I was just looking at all of the rooms to see what's inside. So far I've found nothing except for separate rooms inside each one. The only thing that I did notice was that the smell is beginning to get worse. It's actually... right here, where I am. Dude, this smell is terrible.''

''I-It really is,'' Isha breathes uncomfortably. ''Guys, this smell is _really bad_. We need to go, like, now.'' Now coughing, Isha begins to let out a series of coughs and spits. ''Y-Yeah, g-guys, we gotta go now! I can't... I'm gonna-'' Before she can finish her sentence, she pukes all over the floor for the first time today, basically flooding the floor with what was inside of her.

She takes in deep breaths in between her vomits, until we all hear a certain noise. Hero peeks his head out of the room that he was in, his hand holding onto the walls tightly as he focuses. Now I try to enhance my hearing in order to hear the sound. The louder and louder it gets, the easier it is for me to make out the sound of duct tape ripping. ''Shh, shh, did you hear that?''

''What is that?'' Hero asks, only to receive no answer and have our surrounding area filled with nothing but a void silence.

All of a sudden, a terrifying shriek, a noise that sends my mind through a state of confusion and fear is heard – it only intensifies my fright. It sounds like a demon chanting and pronouncing words backwards. Making a turn for it, Hero, Isha and I sprint away.

''OH, MY GOD!'' Isha yells.

''GO GO GO!'' Hero yells.

Running away from whatever the hell that thing is, I hear crawling from behind us and a frightening sound of someone inhaling. It's not a regular inhale, but more of a groan mixed with a moan that's lasting for minutes on end. ''GUYS, HURRY UP!'' I yell, being behind both of them. Somehow, I manage to sprint forward past Hero and look for the exit.

''WHAT THE HELL?!'' Hero screams, gasping for air. ''IT'S TOUCHING ME, IT'S TOUCHING ME!'' A sharp sound of metal tearing through flesh bounces off the walls of the room, and I see Hero's small frame running towards us, except he's meters behind. He doesn't catch up to us just yet, but he's gaining speed.

Isha doesn't seem to notice as she doesn't go back to help him, probably thinking that the screaming voice was mine, and sprints past me. ''COME ON!'' Right when she passes me, she collides with a wall and slams her head into it on accident.

''ISHA, MOVE!'' I yell. ''FIND A WAY OUT!''

''I CAN'T, THERE'S A WALL AND I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!''

''GUYS!''

''HERO!'' Both Isha and I scream out at the same time. Hero comes running right into the both of us, being set off balance and falling back. Jumping through the air, I see a twisted body with its head turned in a three hundred and sixty degree angle walking on all fours. The face is... It's the face of the girl from Eight, Candice!

''HOW?!'' I yell out. ''THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE LIVING WITH YOUR HEAD TURNED LIKE THAT!''

''SHE'S POSSESSED!'' Hero confirms. After yelling that out, we see that her body is covered in black veins that are threatening to jump out of her skin. There's a green liquid that's oozing from her mouth, and I feel as though any moment now she'll jump out and kill one of us. So I grab Hero by his hand and turn to the right where a corner is available, and run down the hallway, leaving Isha behind.

She soon follows when she screams, ''GET AWAY!'' She climbs over the wall and drops a couple of arrows in her quiver as she runs away. She follows after us with the possessed demon-girl running on walls and stretching out her neck. She lets out a shriek and says something in her deepened voice.

I begin to pay closer attention to the marks that she leaves every time she takes a step and they make out to be blood circles with four eyes in each pocket. I still have Hero sliding on the floor as I pull him away, and I know that he's hurting but I can't dare let him go. Isha, who appears out of nowhere, nearly scares the life out of me when she grabs Hero's wrist and slaps mine away. ''Asyrin, get out of here, now!''

She has Hero stand up on his feet and run with me, when she takes out her bow and shoots an arrow straight into the demon's mouth. The demon ate that shit up instead of being anywhere close to affected. It seems like the arrow attack only pissed it off more than scared it, which is probably why it jumps straight after Isha.

Hero finds a source of light and calls out for us, telling us to follow after him. Just as Candice is about to strike Isha with ingrown claws, I run over there and stab my machete into her back. She jumps away and lets me remove my machete before running after me again. I push Isha forward, giving her are speed boost so that they can both escape.

Isha finally reaches Hero and gets towards the light, while Hero quickly tells us to descend with him – he just doesn't see that I'm not there yet. Although I can tell that it's a deep jump and one of us will most likely die from this, Hero jumps without thinking and lands somewhere safely from what I can tell. Isha is just about to jump when I'm a few meters behind her, yelling, ''HELP! SHE'S GOT A HOLD OF MY LEG!''

Isha turns her head, sparing me one last glance before shaking her head, tears glistening in her eyes, and jumps off. ''Are you kidding me..?'' I whisper to myself. Now that anger's coursing throughout my body, I'm unable to contain it any longer. ''ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!'' Turning around, I snarl at the demon-girl and kick her straight in the face.

It doesn't hurt her at all but it's enough to send her back. Her cold, wolf-like smile makes my skin boil. I can feel my veins popping out of my head now, and I hate this moment so much. Clutching both machetes, I lunge after Candice and aim my right machete to the soft spot right in between her neck and shoulder.

Just as I wanted, she brings her hands up to block the attack and I swing horizontally, slicing her left hand right off. She lets out a dying scream and grabs my stomach, twisting it and stabbing her claws into it painfully. I look up, my eyes wide with surprise before stabbing her left leg this time. She forcefully rips her claws out of my stomach, leaving five deep holes that send my blood soaking through my outfit.

Breathing becomes increasingly difficult, and now I can barely hold my own. One thing that I didn't notice was that she still had her sword. It was just between the patch in her outfit, so I wasn't able to react in time when she pulled it out and brought the edge of her blade across my upper chest, aiming deep enough to let out a crying scream.

Trying my best to dodge the attacks, I can't seem to escape with the momentum between her actions. She's a wild beast at the moment, throwing her sword out there but also clawing at me with her feet. I use my machete to block her fingers from digging into my neck and hear her sharp nails crack. She yells, and I use my feet to dance away from the next blow.

I'm able to land a hit on her shoulder with my left machete, but the blow isn't deep enough because she easily slides away. It's a sword battle now, with me using my left machete to block and my right one to attack, and her using her one sword to do everything I'm unable to do. I deflect her sword with my left machete and stab my right one through her right shoulder.

The blade protrudes out her back and my handle is digs inside. She picks up her leg and kicks me back, making me let go of the machete and sit with one in my current inventory. Honestly, I'm not gonna lie, the euphoria of this battle is pleasing, and I feel like I'm on the edge. This was always something that I've wanted – a great battle with someone worthy enough, despite it not being _actually_ her.

''S-STOP!'' She's able to yell out, fighting back the demon that's possessing her. The demon overpowers her and takes complete control over her body, but not before Candice cries, ''HELP ME!'' The demon lunges at me, but I shift my body in a way where I'm able to place my machete on her chest and slide upwards until her lower neck to her chin is cut, causing her to yell and tense up, which ends up widening the wound.

Blood sputters out like a waterfall and the flesh in her neck easily rips apart as she continues to gurgle. One moment she's spitting out blood and the next she's sending the silver tip of her sword rushing at me. I'm not able to react in time to move out of the way completely, but I did manage for it to miss my heart. But this is probably worse, seeing as a sword going through my ribs and out my back makes the pain burn far worse than it would if I had gotten killed instantly with an attack to the heart.

She tries to push the blade deeper into my ribs but I grab it with my hand, squeezing it despite the blood that begins to clamp up in my hands. I look up, my eyebrows furrowed as I start walking back, barely being able to hold myself up. Candice- or should I say the demon, is advancing towards me now. It grabs the handle of its sword and rips the blade out of my ribs. I gasp loudly, my eyes widening as I crawl.

I'm able to get up just a little bit before she scratches my chest and kicks my head, sending me staggering back even further. I'm able to hold my balance right before I end up at the exit where Isha and Hero jumped off of. Looking down, I survey the deep fall. If I were to jump off now, there's no way I'd be able to survive. I don't know where they went, but I'm not risking it – I'd rather die like this rather than go out killing myself.

Sighing to myself, I turn around and smile at Candice's possessed body, her veins and green ooze still frightening me. ''Looks like it's over,'' I slump forward, letting my head fall to my chest. ''I fought hard, did what I needed to do, but now it's over. Wouldn't you agree?''

She rips the machete that was in her stomach out and holds both weapons in front of her, running at me as she prepares herself for another kill. Both weapons are now raised high and mighty, ready to be swung down onto my neck – but I anticipate the attack and read her movements properly, swinging my body out of the way just in time to precisely counter her attack.

I kick my feet out, tripping her, and swing my one machete down onto her neck, decapitating her quickly and cleanly. Her blood shoots out of her neck at the same time her body and head fall off of the Pyramid opening, plummeting hundreds of feet in the air. Her body makes contact with the ground with a loud thud.

Placing my hand against the area where my ribs are located, I pump my fist into the air and laugh to myself. ''WHOO!'' I call out, taking in all of the pain. It hurts so much and it's hard to adjust to but I'm trying. I'm doing as best as I can to make the best out of this, and if I can keep it up then it's all smooth sailing from here on out. ''NOW I'M LIVING!''

''WHERE ARE MY SPONSORS?!'' I yell , speaking directly to do Capitol. ''DID YOU JUST SEE THAT? ASYRIN ALWAYS DOES THE FUCKING MOST! WHAT IS THAT NOW, MY FIFTH KILL? THAT WAS AMAZING, DID YOU NOT SEE?!''

Still waiting on treatment, I remember that there was some in my duffle-bag. _But Isha took it._ Listening to my mind carefully, I begin shaking. She did take it... And now she's somewhere down there. I know that I saw her run towards the left, which was the right for me, and jumped off somewhere. If she was dead, surely two cannons would've rung then because both her and Hero jumped.

I just hope Hero's safe. If she abandoned me like that, what makes anyone say she won't do the same to him? She left me, but he didn't see me stay behind. He doesn't need to be with someone like her.

Just hold on, Hero.

* * *

 **Eudora Bayard, 17;**

 **District Seven Female**

I watch from the exit of my Pyramid as a girl's head goes flying out of the center Pyramid's exit. While her blood is pouring everywhere, her limp body lands on the floor with a loud thud, just as I see two tributes drop down to a small opening on the side. That's the only place that they can really go, seeing as it's just a leverage to either bring them up or down, but they have no force to escape – they're stuck.

I spot the boy from Two climbing down, a look of hatred mixed with terror mixed with sadness on his face. Almost like he's been betrayed or something. I shake my head. There's no way he could've been betrayed; the boy from One would never walk away from an ally like that.

He looks utterly confused for some time, holding onto the small lump of rock that's sticking out of the Pyramid's side. He's holding right above the other two tributes, squinting his eyes shut every time he moves to take a look. There's blood just begging to escape through the cuts in his body, and he eventually loses his strength and falls.

Landing on his back, there's a crunch that's loud enough for even me to hear it from all the way over here. The boy from One looks surprised, jumping back at first but then he jumps forward to comfort his ally. ''W-Why'd you stay back?!'' He places his hand on his allies wound – the one of many – where his ribs are located. ''What happened?''

The girl from Two's eyes are absolutely shaking. I don't know if she's scared that she was able to see how he came out of his fight, or if she had something to do with it. I'm just wondering who died. Judging by the tributes that I didn't see die, these last two cannons could belong to either the girl from Eight, the girl from Ten, the Twelve girl, or Orion. Two out of those four are definitely dead.

Orion...

''Ha!'' Two chuckles weakly. He stands up and moves his allies hand away. ''Wouldn't you like to know? Well, what would you think if I told you that your girlfriend over here _ditched_ me and left me for dead? I helped her out, but she left me, and then I was left to fight that possessed bitch all by myself.'' He sways back and forth, slowly approaching his District Partner. ''Do you know the struggles that I went through in order to kill her? That fight felt like it was going on for an _hour_. If you had helped me out, maybe both of us would've made it out unscathed.''

''What do you mea-!'' The girl from Two tries to speak, but she's quickly cut off when her partner horizontally slices his machete out, sinking the blade in her upper abdomen, puncturing through all the blood vessels, veins and cells, and tears a large gash across her stomach. The cut is so deep that some of her bones are visible.

She lets out a loud gasp. Not even a scream, just a loud, unexpected gasp. Stumbling back, she falls on her back and stares up with pinprick eyes. There's a scared, haunted look on the face of the boy from One just as Two's District Partner loses his footing and falls right next to her, leaving the machete in her abdomen.

''What the...'' One mutters, his body shaking violently as he stares at his two allies, both on the floor with deathly wounds. I hate to say it, but neither of the two seem like they're gonna survive the attacks they've suffered through. Both of their wounds secrete immense amounts of blood, forming together as one large bloody pool. ''But why?''

The look on One's face breaks my heart. He's sad, confused, _torn apart_. He doesn't understand a thing that just happened, and neither do I. Not until the male begins talking, a small smile forming on his face. Eventually he coughs out, ''It was my revenge. I had to pay you back for ditching me, right? Well, how else was I supposed to do that?''

''By dying,'' she struggles to manage, tears running down her cheek. ''Your cannon should've sounded a while ago, okay? I don't know how you managed to beat her, but that doesn't matter now. Do you remember that bold statement you made earlier? How you were gonna make the final two? Yeah, what happened to that?''

''That's none of your concern,'' he says seriously. ''Besides, weren't you also supposed to make the final two? You kept your promise and said that I wouldn't, but I also kept my promise and said I was gonna stop you. And it was _sooner_ than you thought. Am I right or am I right?''

''You're a bastard, that's what you are.'' She responds blankly, leaving her arms at her sides. ''I can't believe I let myself trust you again, even if it was only for two days. You... You...''

''I what?'' He growls furiously. ''What, I betrayed my loyalty? So did you, so don't even start with that shit. You left me deserted there to _die_ , so I _had_ to get you. There was no other way, don't you see? I couldn't let you live either way!''

''Yeah, well-''

''But why?!'' One cuts in, slamming his fist into the wooden floor frames. ''We were all doing so well together, we made it work! We were like a family, and we even bonded earlier today in a group hug. We all started growing on each other, and just when I think a larger relationship is forming, both of you go on the verge of dying, and it's all because of each other!''

There's a silence between all three of them when he started sobbing. There was a rawness to his cry, like the pain was an open wound to him. He clasped onto the leverage floor, his body shaking. The sobs were stifled at first when he attempted to hide his grief, then they overcame with a wave of emotions that soon broke down entirely, all his defenses washing away in those salty tears of his. He looked up once again, the picture of grief, loss, devastation right in front of him – seeing his remaining allies die right there.

His face was one of someone who suffered before and didn't know if they could do it again. His crying became ferocious and noisy. He tried to blink the tears away from his bloodshot eyes, his thick lashes stuck together in clumps. The tears made wet tracks down his face and dripped from his wobbling chin.

Both of the tributes from Two spare each other one glance before reaching up and grab one of his hands individually, palms kissing and fingers laced together. They both smile brightly at him with sunshine radiating over their faces. ''Don't cry, man,'' the male says. ''Crying won't save us, so can we just enjoy these last few moments with each other without shedding any more tears? Please?''

''O-Okay.'' One sniffs.

The three of them start reminiscing about times that they had together in the Capitol and in the Arena. I can't help but smile when they all start laughing together. It's sad, seeing them all in such terrible states, but at least they're cherishing the final moments that they have together. There's a long, quiet pause until the boy from Two sighs.

''Hero. Before I die, I just wanna give you some last words of wisdom.''

''You. Words of wisdom?'' The girl jumps in, laughing quietly, struggling to catch her breath. ''That's surprising.''

''Shut up and let me speak.'' He demands. ''Listen, after the two of us die, it's gonna be the final four, and you know that. You have some competition with that boy from Seven, so I just want you to be careful. He's not gonna hold back, and if I'm being honest, he's your only competition left. Don't lose to him. If you do, then what was the point of this conversation?''

''O-Okay...'' Hero sniffs – so that's his name.

''Don't listen to Asyrin, you'll do completely fine.'' That's Two's name. ''Don't just worry about Orion. Remember the first thing that they teach you in the Academy? _Never underestimate an opponent, and never think they're out of the fight unless you hear their cannon ring or can confirm they're dead._ His District Partner's still alive, and so is that small girl from Ten. You don't know what they have up their sleeves, so please be cautious.''

''Oh, shut up,'' Asyrin cuts in. ''Isha, you're such a piece of shit, always ruining the moment. God, you're so boring. He doesn't need to worry about those other two. What's the girl from Ten gonna do? The bitch isn't even five foot, you think she'll be able to bother Hero? And Seven. All she does is stand there and watch everything unfold; Hero only needs to worry about Orion.''

''But Hero's hesitant, Asyrin! He's not gonna jump out of his way just to kill someone, and you know that! Both Seven and Ten could've both been changed by the Games and now have a killer's mindset. Are you forgetting that we didn't experience _every_ kill in the Games? One or two of those deaths could've been by their hands.''

''Shut up, Hero's gonna do fine. Did you not see how he lunged at Candice like that?''

''Because he was trying to protect us! Hero's caring and wants his allies to stay safe, but now we're both going to die. I have faith in him, but really, I'm just praying that Orion dies before him and Hero encounter. That's all I can do right now – pray. I don't want you to die, sweetie.''

''I would say that if you were still alive, you could say save him, but that'd be a lie.''

''Why would that be a lie?''

''Because you know damn well as much as I do that if you and Hero made the finale, you would kill him just to go back to your daughter.'' Another moment of silence is formed after that statement. ''Uh-huh. I'm fucking right, aren't I?''

''That's okay,'' Hero smiles. Isha doesn't say anything and stays quiet, barely looking at him. ''She has to do what she has to do, and if she needed to kill me in order to get back to her daughter, then I'd be fine with that. I have no family back home, nobody who cares for me, but she does. She shouldn't be in this position. If I could take her place, I would, but I can't, unfortunately.''

''Hero, can I just say one thing?'' Isha asks; Hero nods. ''When you win, that's _if_ you win – and I hope you do. I really, really do – take Colette from Klaus, please. Let her know who I was, and let her know how much I cared about her. I know that she's watching right now, but please let her know how I truly felt. And please, if you can, give Klaus a piece of my mind for me. That's all I can ask for.''

''And for me,'' Asyrin swallows. ''Just let District Two know the real side of Asyrin Katchet, their supposed-to-be-but-didn't-achieve newest Victor. Don't forget to attend my funeral, and make sure that my idiot mentors don't do anything stupid to my body. Let them all know The Legend of Asryin: The Boy Who Did The Most. Can you promise me that?''

''I-I-I can...'' He stutters, looking into their eyes, his own wide with pain and anguish. ''I love you both so much. And if I can manage to somehow win, I will carry out your requests. You name it and I'll do it, I swear to you. And I'll try to survive. I know that fighting these last three will be complicated and rough, but I'll do my best. I'll try not to fail you.''

''You could never fail us, Hero.'' Isha says.

''Yeah, we'll love you no matter what.'' Asyrin's eyes begin to dull over. ''But if you don't mind, I'm feeling a bit tired and wanna go to sleep now. I'll see you on the other side, bro. Whenever you get there, that is.''

''I'm getting tired, too, Hero. I don't want to leave just yet, but I guess this is the end. Just... Come here for a second, please.'' Hero leans over towards Isha, still holding both her and Asyrin's hands. She uses her free hand to wrap her arm around the back of his neck and bring him in for a kiss. Their lips touch in a smooth and simple motion, and they kiss for a quick five seconds before she lets him go. ''It's my time...''

''Ha, you suck.'' Asyrin laughs.

''Yeah, and you swallow.'' She jokes.

''Is that a joke? Are you trying to say something here?''

''Nope, I just wanted to tease you one last time before dying. I love how we were finally able to get along, even if it was at the moment of our deaths.''

''Get along? No, fuck you.''

''I pity you.''

''I don't want your pity, bitch,'' Asyrin sucks his teeth. ''Get out of here.''

''I am leaving, and I'm taking you with me. We're both going to the same place, so I'll be able to bug you there, too.''

''Whatever.'' Asyrin scoffs. ''Hey, Hero..?''

''Yeah..?'' Hero sniffs.

''We love you.'' Both Asyrin and Isha say at the same time, their smiles brightening the moment. They both breathe in one last time, their chests rising and falling, before their bodies slump over and they go limp, their dead eyes open and facing the air.

 _Boom!_

 _Boom!_

The twin cannons ring.

 **''NOOOOOOOOO!''** Hero screams into the air, his voice howling like a wolf. I do nothing but sigh and stare at him, his hands still holding those of his deceased allies.

 _Chime!_

Looking up, I see a package of food traveling towards me. It lands right in front of me and there's so much of it. The Games, if I'm being honest, will most likely end today, so there's no way in hell that I'll be able to finish it all now. Well, maybe I could share this with someone.

''Hey.'' I say, looking behind me. The girl from Ten stands there, a butcher's knife in her hands. ''You hungry?''

She nods.

''Welcome to the finale,'' I congratulate. ''Take a break and enjoy yourself. Make the most of it, because I don't think it'll last long.''

* * *

 **7** **th** **– Candice Davenport, District Eight**

 **6** **th** **– Asyrin Katchet, District Two**

 **5** **th** **– Isha Levine, District Two**

* * *

 **James, Candice was an amazing tribute who started to really grow on me. I was so excited when I got her because she reminded me of Janet, except she was much more devious and demonic, but it was still an upside to get her. When I got her and Seraphina both, I didn't know who I was gonna choose to make it farther out of the two, but then Candice started growing on me and I found a lot more stuff to do with her. How to somewhat develop her, although I should've made her more productive instead of just killing mutts. I thought that she would've been the perfect tribute to have kill mutts, though, seeing as Satan would've told her to go after blood. She did well, ended up killing her District Partner, a distracted tribute, and a Career. Unfortunately, her actions led to her downfall when she used a spell she wasn't certain of. She wanted to be possessed and please her master, but she didn't know what the consequences would be. Unfortunately, she lost herself in a pit of darkness and doesn't even know what happened to her body. At least she can rest now, with Satan, I guess? She'll probably be punished in Hell for her failure, but, I mean, yeah? Anyway, thanks for submitting her.**

 **Brooke, oh, Brooke. Asyrin was such a great tribute. Jesus, I loved writing Asyrin so damn much. He was, in the words of a couple of readers, a psycho teddy bear who a lot of people loved. Some people hated him. I don't see why Asyrin was hated, because he had the perfect personality and story line, in my opinion, for a desperate psycho who wanted to win the Games and bring recognition to himself. But he did well, if I say so myself. Six kills, two of them being of the same District, three Careers, one of them being his District Partner, and a possessed Satan worshiper. In my opinion, killing a demon is one hell of an accomplishment, and Asyrin was able to do that. Truthfully, I think it was hella unrealistic, but I don't care. It's a fic, anything can happen in them. Ah, he was just a lovely tribute with a desire to win, although it wasn't shown immensely. I feel proud of Asyrin, seeing as he's gotten the most kills for a tribute in all of my stories. Six is a beautiful number for a Career such as himself, and I couldn't be more proud of Asyrin. Honestly, he was an amazing tribute, and I loved writing for him so much. I know that you wanted plot for him, so I gave him that change of heart when he hurt Hero. Their relationship was one of the best bromances I've ever had the chance to read/write, and I'll miss it dearly. But I'm happy he and Isha got their little moment of enjoyment and friendship together. Just at least once. R.I.P. Asyrin.**

 **Cloe, Isha was... Wow, Isha was just an amazing tribute to begin with. She was honestly the best tribute that I'd ever received before, no lie. She was detailed, creative, and she had an amazing story line that would help contribute to her development and role in the story overall. I mean it when I tell you that she was the best tribute ever. I'd yet to receive any form like hers in my two SYOT stories, and I couldn't have been more happy once I received her. She was so delicate and interesting, and if I'm honest, I thought I would screw her up majorly. I can't tell you how bright the smile on my face was when you PMed me saying that I wrote her perfectly and that you enjoyed the chapters. God, if I don't tell you this now, I'd be lying to myself and everyone else reading the story. Isha was my Victor 99% of the way. I think everybody expected her to be Victor, and I was right there on doing it. This chapter, she was not supposed to die, but instead I would've killed off, I don't know, someone else. I thought long and hard over writing her death, and I've been thinking about if I would be able to kill her off ever since the beginning. Isha's death was the hardest I've ever had to write before, and I can't tell you how many times I shook my head, rereading that scene, backspacing and re-writting it. I just couldn't, and I got off of my computer so many times and closed the page just so I wouldn't have to think about it. I loved the idea of her winning, and I had plans for her but they wouldn't go far. I felt like she would get her daughter back, but then I had a surprise for her, and then I went into deeper thought and kept screwing myself over, along with her, sadly. I don't wanna say what it was just yet, because if I did I'd be spoiling the entire ending for everyone here and now, and I don't want to do that. Once again, I'm sorry that she died. I will truly miss Isha, and I hope you know that I love her, and hopefully I was able to write her how you wanted from the beginning to the end. R.I.P.**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys. So a quick update. Fun, right? Yeah, maybe, no? Alright. So it's Spring Break, and I'm glad, because there's a week off from school and I can finally focus more on this story again and get quick updates out. I'm hoping to be able to finish this story by the time Sunday hits, so I'll be writing until my fingers ache. Two more chapters remain until the end, and I'm getting pumped for another story. I know what you're probably thinking: ''Ansley, you barely write for this one anymore and update like every two weeks, what makes you think you can actually complete another one?'' Well, listen, you. There's less school bullcrap now, the fourth and final quarter is on its way, so things will start to slow down and writing will get easier, so less school means more motivation, more chapters, and more fun with these stories. Only problem is that exams will most likely get in the way, but screw it, I'll BS it. I don't need the grades, everything is smooth sailing from here on out XD**

 **Anyways, congratulations to the final four: Hero, Eudora, Orion and Mickaela. Before anyone says anything, I know that you're all probably pissed or upset with me for this finale. I've gotten so many complaints from people saying, ''Who the hell is Eudora, why is she even relevant?Mickaela is so annoying, kill her off! Orion is a Gary-Stu! Kill Hero, he's so useless!'' If you're upset with the finale, I'm sorry, that's unfortunate, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I chose these four because they made the perfect fit for every plan that I had in mind for my finale, which is why some of your favorites probably didn't make it this far. Everyone in this finale has gotten hate at least ten times, but every tribute has, and I don't want to give the readers everything that you want, you know? It gets annoying when you have ideas for a certain chapter or event and you let the opinion of your readers get in the way of accomplishing what you wanna do with the story. If I offend anyone by saying this, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Just stating my mind here and being real with you all.**

 **But like I said last chapter, I've concluded that I _will_ leave you all off at a cliffhanger just for the fun of it. I'm an ass, I know. I love writing cliffhangers but reading them isn't so fun XD I just want to let you know that the Victor I've decided on might not be your favorite, or exactly who you want. You'll probably hate me for it, and if me saying this lets you know who the Victor already is then congratulations, you've figured it out. How does it feel? Do you like them? Maybe, maybe not, I do not know. ANYWAYS, I'm not saying anything further than that, so onto the questions, alright? Yeahhhhhhhhh! ;)**

* * *

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite POV?**

 **Unexpected moment?**

 **Prediction?**

 **Who do you think will win? Now just keep this in mind, just in case you think you're a smartass and that I'm so predictable when it comes to these Victors. Hero is screwed over with his allies' deaths and will most likely become depressed, Eudora isn't a killer, yet, maybe, Orion fell one hundred feet in the air and landed on a stack of some excuse thing that I'm trying to figure out in order to keep him alive. Just kidding, I wouldn't do that. He fell on a pile of sand, in case any of you were wondering why he didn't die; and Mickaela is a little girl who will most likely not even be able to lay a fingertip on these four older tributes who are all seventeen-years-old, and she's twelve. So, go ahead and make your prediction.**

 **Do you hate me after this chapter? Probably, and I won't blame you if you do. I just wanna know.**

* * *

 **I know that we didn't see much of Orion and Eudora in the last two chapters besides them both struggling to get something, and especially since Eudora's in this one was just watching the Careers' final moments with one of them left alive, so we'll get a POV from those two. We'll actually be getting a POV from everyone because I want to give them all a final POV before three of them die and one lucky loser will have to go through a life of victory. But for now, that's all I have to say. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and let me know your opinions and what you think. I love you all, and I'll see you next chapter. Bye! ^-^**


	28. One Has To Emerge Victorious Ever Year

**Day Seven – Night:**

* * *

 **Eudora Bayard, 17;**

 **District Seven Female**

''Here, come sit.'' I tell the girl from Ten, patting on a spot right next to me, after I sit on the floor. I pull back the plate, removing the plastic wrap around it and continue to sit on the edge of the exit, letting my feet swing back and forth as I cautiously watch her every movements. ''Don't worry, I don't bite – you can trust me.''

Timidly, she walks closer, shaking in her boots as she holds her butcher's knife up, her hands trembling in fear. ''I-I d-don't want any t-trouble.'' I smile at her, nodding my head in compassionate support.

''I know you don't,'' I breathe, looking at her with an unemotional stare. ''I want you to know that I'm not here to hurt you, and that I'm offering you food because I want to help you out. I believe that if I can get your good side, maybe we can work together and team up. There are two tributes left besides us – that Career boy down there, Hero, and my District Partner Orion.''

She nods her head. ''I know Orion.'' Taken aback, I stare at her wide-eyed. ''He and I talked back at the Training Center; we laughed, joked, and even fooled around a little bit, all for the fun of it. But that was before the Games started and you called him out on killing Carter in at the Bloodbath. I never really expected that from him of all people.''

''Yeah. People aren't always what you expect them to be; some of them change during your time knowing them, and others have always just been that way. You can never read a person's mind and figure out what they're really like, and you also can't presume that some are as innocent as a newborn.''

I watch as she trembles, so slowly I wrap my arms around her shoulder and bring her head close to my chest, doing so softly and calmly so that she doesn't think I'm trying to kill her. I reach into the plate and bring out an apple, weighing it in my hand before placing it in the palm of her hands. She stays quiet and I do nothing but caress her hair.

A sharp _yank_ muffles through the air, and when I look down I see Hero slowly removing the machete stuck in Isha's abdomen out. This, for him, in my opinion, is a complicated task. How will he get down? The Capitol has to pick up the bodies of both tributes from Two, and he's on the leverage just like the rest of them are, so how does this work?

If he drops down, he's surely dead – there's no if, ands, or buts. With how high he is in the air, even he knows that he has no chance at surviving it. If he does jump and dies, though, that leaves only three competitors left. ''No,'' I whisper, shaking my mind clear of the thought of another tribute dying.

One circles around the leverage with the machete in his hand, looking as if he's trying to make an executive decision on what he wants to do for himself. He continues his strut until he comes to a complete halt when the night falls. Out of the Pyramid exit, I tap Mickaela's shoulder, pointing up towards the sky.

The lingering light is completely obliterated by the rapidly falling sky. The once salmon and purple sky transforms into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfs the entire Arena. I watch as a sudden canopy of stars materialize themselves over the ocean of blackness. Some were dull, merely flickering every now and then, while others were adequate with shimmering lights that illuminate the dark, moonless night. Over a mile away, I can see the glistening statue of the Sphinx, it's Godly stature promising with gifts and surprises just waiting for us.

All of a sudden a loud boom echoes throughout the sparkled sky. The girl from Two's face shows first, followed by that of her District Partner, then the District Four boy; next it shows Eight's face, and after her it shows the Nine boy; then it finalizes with the girl from Twelve. Hero continues to stare up, his Adam's apple throbbing with held back emotion, tears, and fear. Mickaela looks up at me, I look back down at her, a frightful look in her eyes. ''Do you want to be allies,'' I ask. ''Just for these last few...''

''You don't have to say it,'' she says, relieving me of having to admit that killing Hero and Orion would be for the best. We have to do what we need to do, and by that I mean kill those two boys. ''I don't like thinking about it either, but at least you have a chance at winning. If we both do, somehow, get the chance to eliminate the other two, then that would be great. Only if it wasn't for the fact that you'd win easily.''

When she says this my heart skips a beat. I hate hearing people talk like that, because right now I feel like she'll try to pull off a stunt or something and kill me. Her weapon isn't too far away from her, so she'd be able to attack quite quickly. I swallow and say, ''W-Why do you think that?''

''Because look at you,'' she says. ''You're from Seven, you've been trained for this. Not like the Careers, but you're part of the Lumberjack District, you guys make your own weapons and teach yourselves how to use them. You think someone like me stands a chance against someone like you? Well you're crazy if that thought even pops up in your mind.''

I can't help but laugh. ''This isn't a joking matter,'' she states, sighing as she chews on the apple I just handed her. ''I could die by your hands.'' She reminds me of Charlie and Maci, almost as if they were both one person mixed together. Both extremely obnoxious, but they talk the same. A small smile creeps on the corners of my lips.

''Well, you don't know everything about District Seven; I don't either. I wasn't even originally born and raised in Seven, so you're speaking to the only person from that entire District who doesn't know how to wield an axe or scythe or whatever other heavy object you think everyone in Seven knows how to use.''

''Really?'' She peers up. I nod my head. ''So if it came down to me and you in the final two, maybe I'd have a chance at actually winning?'' I look at her, my eyebrows raised with suspicion in my veins. ''Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I was just... I probably shouldn't speak now.''

''No, it's fine,'' I cough. ''I understand what you mean, and it's perfectly normal for you to think that way. After all, everyone goes through feelings like that when they reach the finale, I'm sure of it. I bet even Career allies face this same cursing punishment for making it this far.''

''Why do you say cursing?'' She asks, her curiosity blinding her from realizing what the simple answer to this simple question is. I pat her shoulder and squeeze, smiling delicately.

''Because they have to kill each other, and it always ends up with one of them getting killed and the other severely injured – or both, sometimes.'' I explain. ''But it's also a reward for the outer District tributes, but when they have to fight each other, I'm sure their Career-like instincts come out, too. Everyone has a bit of that Career mentality in them.''

''Even you?'' She questions. I chuckle quietly to myself. It's like I'm sitting down with a child on my lap and I'm reading them a story. But it releases and reduces the stress that I'm feeling, so I can do nothing besides enjoy this moment and stay like this until the Gamemakers decide to bring us all together.

''Yeah,'' I shake my head. Poking her nose, I whisper, '' Even you have that Career mentality in you, and it'll come out before you know it. I just hope you don't unleash it on me.'' I joke around, but she takes it seriously. She's about to open her mouth when a loud rumble emits from the sky, the sound blasting throughout the air.

Something that began as strong winds and a smattering of rain has built into the worst storm that this Arena has ever faced. The wind wasn't just howling, it was screaming at the top of its lungs, puncturing my ears and sending my hair and sponsor food flying all sorts of places. Clouds formed above, oozed and billowed across the night sky, casting a meadow of more shadowy darkness.

A jagged bolt of lightning rips the sky in half and goes bolting for the leverage that Hero's on top of. Both Ten and I watch as time slows down, and the boy from One is lucky enough to move out of the way. He made up his mind and jumped off of the leverage with a scream, right before the lightning bolt crushed the wooden chips into pieces and sent broken pieces of wood plummeting to the floor.

Hero's dive was like one you would see from a swimmer, gracious and beautiful. My eyes travel with the same movement that his body does as he falls from the sky. The violent wind whipped all of our hair around our faces. There's a loud thud sound as something hits the floor, and I think of it to be Hero until I crawl closer and see him barely holding onto one of the further stuck out steps of the Pyramid.

Thunder rolls across the sky, seeming to crack the world in half and reveal the fury of the Sphinx. Everything is coming from there it seems, as it lights up and color radiates from its head. It reverberates around the Pyramid, eerily echoing as Hero desperately tries to climb up and search for a way out. He's able to get up just as soon as another lightning bolt strikes, but this time heads straight for Ten and I.

The bolt of lightning sends me sprawling back, my hands and legs shaking and trembling in the air just as I hit the floor and slide, my hands cutting into the surface of the ground. Ten screams, and a large piece of our Pyramid crumbles and goes scattering out to multiple places.

I feel as though the Gamemakers have set this up on purpose because the pieces of our Pyramid that are broken down make a stairway that connects with that of Hero's, and it manages to hold up. I hear Hero's footsteps stomping on the pile of rubble and he uses his free hand – the one not holding the machete – to hold himself up and stop his body from swaying side-to-side.

He finishes climbing onto the exit entrance where Mickaela and I are, and I watch Mickaela press her dagger against her chest like it's in self-defense actions. ''Stay back!'' She yells, now raising it in the air. Hero just stares at her. ''I said stay back!'' He takes one step back, his feet kicking the rubble away.

''I don't want to harm anyone, and I don't even want to be here. Just- Listen, I don't want to fight, just put the weapon down. Please!''

Mickaela looks at me, then back at Hero. ''I can't,'' she whispers.

* * *

 **Mickaela Robenson, 12;**

 **District Ten Female**

Hero stares at me with a contorted face. He has a mix of sadness, anger, and just plain out tiredness on his face. Standing still, he lets the machete drop to the floor. He shakes his head, sighing in agony as he tries to see what he can make of this situation. I spare a glance at Eudora through the corner of my eye, and she looks like she doesn't know what to say. She wants to speak, but nothing's coming out.

''I can't put the weapon down, Hero,'' I state, looking at him dead seriously. He looks like he's growing impatient, but he doesn't let the anger and sadness get the better of him. For a fact, we all know that he's alone now. He's sad, and he won't be willing to fight back. If I can just manage to make him emotional again, then maybe, just maybe, I can strike out at him and kill him.

Then, all Eudora and I will have to worry about is Orion – the stronger competitor remaining. ''Why can't you put the damn weapon down?!'' Hero asks suddenly, scaring me just a little bit. I take a hesitant step back, shaking as he stares at me. I know well that he couldn't possibly be thinking about attacking me. He has morals. Good ones, in fact. ''Why do you insist on fighting me? What's the point in all of this?''

''I want to go home, Hero,'' I sniffle. ''I want to go back to my family, back to my friends, back to District Ten. And the only way I can achieve that reality is by killing you, and Orion, and-''

''And who else?'' He shouts, now terrifying me. ''Your partner over there?! After you kill me, who are you gonna kill next? Do you honestly think Orion will let you put a finger on him, and even if you did manage to kill him, do you think it would be easy to kill the tribute right next to you?! Use your damn brain, you have one for a reason!''

''I-I-I—''

''Instead of trying to kill me, why don't we all make a temporary alliance to eliminate the strongest tribute in these Games? Don't you think that would be the smartest idea,'' he asks rhetorically. ''Please. Just please put the knife down. I don't want to fight you, and no matter what, I won't dare lay a hand on a twelve-year-old girl.''

Chuckling to myself, I shake my head. I know I can't beat him, I know that I most likely won't win, but I have to try. He's wounded with a large cut starting at his collarbone down to his abdomen, and maybe if I can stab him there, he'll falter and lose control, which could result in him falling off of the Pyramid. I have to try it.

''Well...'' I smile at him. ''That's your problem for not killing someone you might have to.'' I charge at him, and it's like he was expecting it. I swing my butcher's knife left and right, up and down, tilting it at an axis in order to puncture his stomach but I'm unable to land a single hit. He continues to jump back, moving the opposite direction of wherever I swing.

Roughly, he uses his free hand to grab my wrist and squeezes it, making me squint in pain. I open my eyes, staring right into his, and all I see is a boy who's changed. He's not a killer, just a boy who's gone through _pain and suffering_. He pushes my hand back, the force of the action making me stumble backwards with it.

Shaking his head, he turns his back and begins walking away. I get up uncomfortably, and scrunch by stomping on the apple that Eudora gave me. He looks back, peering over his shoulder just in time to see me throw it at him. He quickly flips his arm back and catches it one-handed in mid-air. Next, he reequips his machete and stares at me. ''Can you not?'' He asks, losing patience with every counting second. ''How many times do I have to tell you that I _don't_ want to fight?!''

The way he's staring at me makes me so angry. Look at him, with his judgmental features. He's doing to me what I do to other people – judging, looking at me angrily and disrespectfully. ''STOP IT!'' I shout, pouting and stomping on the ground. ''Why can't you just give up and die and let me go home?!''

''Because you're not the only person who wants to go home!'' He yells back, clutching his machete. He notices that my eyes fall to his weapon, and he says, ''You shouldn't look at the machete, or me, like that. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to leave, without fighting you and while unscathed.'' He shakes his head. ''At least less injured than I was before I got here.''

A stillness falls between all three of us, despite Eudora not saying a single thing for the past ten minutes. In the silence comes a low crackle of thunder, rolling across the rooftop of the Pyramids to the pattering of the downpour. For a moment, though, it seems like the Gamemakers have let everything settle down and everything stops. Even the wind holds its breath.

Just when I think about sighing, a streak of hot silver splits the sky again, sending light across the dark, drained from colored sky. The wind begins picking up, and not being able to hold myself any longer, I start being pushed back with a fury of a thousand humans blowing at the same time. Shooting past Eudora, I call out for help.

''Mickaela!'' She yells back, leaning in to grab my hand. She gets a hold of my wrist, the one that Hero squeezed, and pain automatically shoots up and settles there. I yell, wincing, just doing my best to stop the pain. Nothing works, as expected, but I still manage to deal with it. ''Are you okay?''

I nod my head, noticing that if Eudora didn't grab me, my head would have smashed straight into a wall. The thought of that is scary enough, let alone knowing what might've happened if I did – would my head have been completely destroyed and popped? Just a small bump? There are many outcomes, some frightening and others relieving.

Assisting me up, Eudora helps me reach my feet. I observe Hero, and as he walks away, I look towards the edge of our Pyramid where pieces broke off. Quietly approaching him, I then let out a full-on sprint and raise my knife up into the air, aiming right in between his neck and shoulder. ''Mickaela, don't!'' Eudora calls out.

Sensing me, Hero moves to the side and I run right off of the exit. Time slows down, and as I stare up, I catch Hero with a blank expression on his face. It's just neutral, no emotion whatsoever, until his eyes widen and he jumps out after me. I see my life flash right before my eyes as I fall, but then he grips onto my forearm and yanks me up, showing no struggle whatsoever.

He lifts me up over his head and throws me back, allowing me to forcefully hit the ground and end up right in front of Eudora. You know, I never learned to cry with style – and that's why the silent, pearl-shaped tears roll down my cheeks from my wide luminous eyes. As much as I try to hold them back, I can't suppress the uproar of my throat in the form of a silent scream.

The muffled sobs wracked against my chest, paining me; the World turned into a blur, and so did all the sounds; the taste; the smell. Everything around me was gone. I felt the last painful emotion of fright that I had slam right against me before I lost the feeling of... feeling. Everything around me darkened into nothingness. Was I falling unconscious?

''No!'' Eudora says, backhand slapping me. ''You will not fall asleep on my watch, do you understand?!'' The pain in her slap made my eyes shoot open in an instance. She looks relieved when I look up at her, although I don't feel relieved. She places her hand on my cheek and sighs.

Hero, on the other hand, looks like he's trying to leave. Even with the thunderstorm going on, he slowly walks away, using his legs as support to crawl away. I just noticed the rubble was still hanging there, so why wasn't I fortunate enough to have landed on it instead of having him grab my arm? Some people get all the luck, don't they? – and I'm just over here, worthless and as lame as always.

''Where are you going?'' Eudora asks, a kindness in her voice.

''I'm leaving,'' Hero states, not giving in to what the Capitol wants. He's denying everyone access of a well wanted fight, and I somewhat respect him for that. He's staying true to his word, but... is this what he really wants? What happens when he's put in an actual situation where he's forced to fight? Like, what if he runs into Orion and the boy _wants_ to kill him?

''What about the fight?'' I ask anxiously.

''I don't want to fight, and I've told you this many times already: I'm not gonna fight.''

''But the Capitol wants deaths, they want the Games to end today!''

''And it will most likely end today,'' he says. ''Just don't count on me killing people for the fun of it – I'm not interested in taking any of your lives. If the Capitol really does want the Games to end today, then they'll make it end. Three of us will die, and the Gamemakers will make sure of that, whether it's by the hands of mutts, the Arena, or each other.''

In a grumpy way, I bark at him. ''You're such a coward! Why are you so soft?! Can't you just get over this nice boy thing and fight?! You said you don't want to fight, but I know that you want to win, so how in the fuck are you gonna win if you don't fight?! You're pissing me off, just stop it already!''

He shakes his head and smiles at me apologetically. ''I wouldn't expect you to understand, seeing as you haven't faced tremendous loss. Or, if you have, you're doing a splendid job at hiding it.'' I shake my head in embarrassment, listening as he tells me off. ''That's just who I am, okay? Everyone has a different personality, and everyone deals with certain situations a different way. I'm not a killer – well, not by choice – and you aren't either. You should know that, you're old enough to understand.''

With that, he scratches the top of his head and backs away, slowly sliding down back to the Pyramid that he was hanging from. The sound of rubble falling off makes me stare in anger.

He left...

Maybe I could've been able to kill him, maybe if he stayed we would've been in the final three; or maybe if he stayed, both Eudora and I could've been dead. Either or, it doesn't matter. I tighten the grip of my knife and shake, trembling in the overwhelming thought of dying.

''Whoa!'' Hero's voice rings. I watch as a silver object increases forward, through the rain, into the Pyramid exit and flies right above our heads, so close to impaling one of our foreheads. There's a sound of grunting and fighting going on outside, but I've yet to see what it is – neither has Eudora.

Eudora gives me a look that I return, except the look on her face is more knowing than mine. ''Hero may be susceptible to dying right now,'' she coughs, a frown on her face. I look at her shocked. What does she mean by dying right now?

''What do you mean?''

''Well, there can only be one reason why you can hear punching and grunting,'' she claims, shaking her head as she comes to a conclusion. ''The finale's already commenced, Mickaela. Outside, with all the noise and the grunting going on, Hero and O-''

 _Bang!_

Out of nowhere, four random stone coffins adorned with inscriptions pop up behind Eudora and I. We both quickly turn around and stare at the beautiful items carved on them. Neither of us can remove our gaze from the sarcophagus'.

Two of the four shoot open and out of them ran mummies. The tall figures sprinted after both Eudora and I, the linen cloth swinging back and forth as they get closer and closer. Eudora removes herself from her frozen state and grabs my hand, then takes off running towards the exit. She's pondering over whether she really wants to go there or not, and I don't blame her – but really, it's either fight the mummies or escape.

Too late, though.

The linen cloth shoots from the mummies' decayed bodies and wrap themselves around my waist, along with Eudora's, and brings us both back. I take a look over my shoulder and see the decayed, disgusting bodies of the mummies; their nostrils and eye sockets filled with crawling maggots, and their puke-green skin rotting with a terrible stench.

Watching intensely, I notice that the sarcophagus' are still open, and inside of them are spikes. Long, pointy spikes that could pierce through our bodies in such a simple way. While we're being pulled, I spot the spear that was thrown in here and quickly grab it on our way towards the spikes. ''Eudora!'' I call out. She looks at me, fear written all over here face.

''Here!'' I throw her the spear, and she catches it right before we make contact with the sarcophagus'. I use my knife to stab the linen cloth, struggling to break it but I eventually do. I drop and fall right in front of the spikes, only the tip of one touching my forehead and drawing blood.

Eudora, on the other hand, uses her spear to break contact with the spikes and it sends her back, the cloth still wrapped around her waist. I quickly run towards her and grab the cloth on her waist, pressing my knife against it. She looks at me; I look at her, both of us with a trusting look on our faces.

''Just make sure not to cut me,'' she jokes. Smiling at her, I nod my head.

''I won't.''

* * *

 **Hero Kane, 17;**

 **District One Male**

In the darkness, only the flashes of lightning across the sky light up and allow me to see what I'm facing. Orion appeared right behind me randomly, but it seems as though he's been hurt. There was an awkward skimping in his movements. Instead of walking, he limped. Instead of swinging, he barely managed to bring his arm up. He was able to throw his spear, somehow after putting one of his dual axes in between his teeth, and now he's using them both to attack me.

For the last couple of minutes, the only thing I was able to hear was the screaming of the girls inside, and the sound of Orion's fists connecting with my cheeks. The downpour of water sent droplets rolling down my forehead and into my eye, making me blink furiously as Orion does his best to swing. I don't care enough to ask why he's limping or how he ended up injured or whatever; all I'm trying to do is escape so that I can avoid this fight.

Asyrin and Isha didn't want me to meet up with him, I didn't want myself to meet up with him; but the Capitol sure did. They want these Games to be a success, and in order to do that, what better way than to have a Career go up against an already stronger opponent? Honestly, I can't even tell if he was following me or if the Capitol brought him here, because he seems eccentric to fight me.

''What do you want?'' I grunt, bringing up my machete to match with his left axe. He struggles, drawing closer and pushes me back. He's not trying, I know that for sure; and he knows that I'm not on offense, and neither do I want to be.

''Me?'' He asks, laughing as he manages to bring me back to the top of the Pyramid exit. Sticking his foot out, he kicks me in my stomach and I jump back to the same spot that I was when I entered. ''I just want to go home. But it doesn't matter what I want; it doesn't matter what any of us want. As long as they get their wish and their desired Victor, everything will be fine.''

''What's the point of committing these crimes, Orion?!''

''Crimes?!'' He asks, doing his best to hold back the upcoming anger. ''What crimes, Hero?! _Murder?_ I'm doing what I need to, not what I want to do. If I could just leave then I would, but you all probably think of me as insane. I'm not, though. I'm doing this because I have to!''

''Or maybe you're just saying all of this to rationalize how guilty you feel,'' I come up with an excuse, staring at him as we face each other. He gives me a twisted look, one that makes me question my words, but I can't back down now. I have to finish my thoughts. ''You could leave if you wanted to!''

''Rationalize how guilty I feel?'' He laughs in my face. ''No. Hero, the thing that you don't understand is that I don't feel guilty or regret a single thing. I don't care about what happened to all the other tributes; the only person I dare think sympathy of is myself, and that's why I'm going to kill you, and the other two.''

After that, he comes to an end when talking to me. Despite being injured, he's amazingly proficient with his axes – both of them at the same time. _Remember what you told yourself?_ My mind asks me. I sigh. _That you wouldn't fight? Yeah? Well you need to fight. Asyrin and Isha wanted you to survive, so get up and don't go down like this. They wanted you to try your best, and you promised to carry out their requests. Get up and move!_

Just as Orion sends one of his axes down, I roll out of the way and dodge the strike. His weapon makes contact with the floor brilliantly, getting caught in the frame of wood on the floor. As I get up, he struggles to remove it, and I swing Asyrin's machete in the air, only to stop and hesitate as soon as it's about to hit his neck.

He stares at me questioningly, then he starts chuckling. ''You don't have it in you.'' I grunt, the pain in my stomach still hurting from the time I woke up. I wish I still had my bag, but unfortunately, that was obliterated when the lightning struck the leverage that I was on. I'm not sure how much longer I can go without it – if I can even continue at all.

''Your death is inevitable,'' Orion lunges at me, his axe swaying down towards my chest. I jump back and bring up Asyrin's machete again, blocking his axe. ''Just make it easier for yourself and let go already! Don't you understand that your struggling is futile?''

''No,'' I bite down on my tongue. Dodging another strike, I jump backward and sidestep from his attack. He runs right past me, and I bring up my elbow to land a blow on the back of his head. Orion looks at me, an amused grin on his face. ''Not like this, at least.''

Maybe I do have to kill in order to get out of here alive. Three more lives, but those aren't the types of things that I want to think about. It's necessary, but wrong. If I do end up killing again, I just want to promise myself that it's not for no reason, that it's not for fun, and that it's only to carry out what Asyrin and Isha wanted. To turn their dreams into a reality, for them; and to their spirits with me.

''It might be the self-preservation side of me,'' Orion announces, rubbing the back of his head smoothly. ''And I know that you're not a contender, or a competitor, or a threat, matter of fact, but I want you dead. Now.''

Sighing, I shake my head slowly and thoughtfully, thinking of a way to respond, but I just can't find any way to comeback to that. It's like he knows exactly what I'm thinking, since he shakes his head and sucks his teeth, mocking me. So these are his true colors.

Judging by the look on his face, he wants one thing and one thing only: to kill me. He's about to take that step to attack until his District Partner starts talking. She stops the both of us from reacting to each other's movements, and we end up staring at her; his eyes cold with no emotion, mine with sorrow and pity because of the fact that she thought she knew him.

''Why?''

''Why what?'' He snarls, biting down on his teeth, showing his unsteady anger.

''This isn't you and you know it, so why are you acting like this?'' She gives him a worried look, and I see Mickaela slowly walking to the right. She catches my eye and stops instantly, trying to pretend as if she wasn't planning anything. ''The things you're saying, your actions... None of this is you, so why are you letting the Games change you like this-''

''You don't know the real me!'' He shouts, gripping his axes tighter. ''I don't know why you even bother asking me these questions. Do you honestly not have anything better to do than look at me and think about why I'm doing the things that I am? And isn't the answer to that question obvious, Eudora? Everyone in this Arena has said it at least once, including you.''

''But I just don't understand!''

''I didn't expect you to,'' he finalizes. ''And I never will.'' Orion slowly approaches me again, swinging his head side-to-side this time. There's a strange eagerness to his movements, and they're almost terrifying, but I won't let them get to me. _I can't, for Asyrin and Isha's sake._

Orion takes one leap forward, an unexpected momentum that he gains boosting his speed. In a sudden urge to kill me, he manages to kick my leg as soon as he gets close enough. I yell back in pain, trying my best to keep my balance but it's difficult. Repaying me the favor, he sends his elbow flying towards my head – except this time, he hits me in the forehead instead.

Swinging his left axe at my face, I duck down just in time and manage to roll out of the attack. I bring up my machete and swing at his neck, but he drops to the floor completely and stares up at me. Now aiming for the floor, I draw my machete outwards and stab at his leg.

The machete pierces his skin, barely, just as he moves away, and blood quickly trickles from his cut. He chuckles quietly, shaking his head as he quickly gets up in something I would say is non-human speed. Already planning another attack, I watch him throw one of his axes at me, and completely miss. I turn around, which was my mistake, because he sends a punch directed for my mouth.

Slowly, I lick my teeth, already tasting the metallic liquid that habitats itself inside my mouth. He doesn't have time to react as I swing my machete in front of him, only to distract him and gain enough time to back away. The machete ends up in his waist, and he yells out a killer scream.

Both Eudora and Mickaela watch, quiet yet loud at the same time. They're not chanting, they aren't screaming; it's just the looks on their faces, the way the squint and grimace, like they can feel the pain. It's sickening, I know. Very, very sickening.

Ripping the machete out of his waist now, I slide back, only to have him run after me and grab my shirt. Orion slowly brings me to my knees and repeatedly punches my face, making more and more blood flood in my mouth. He finally lets me go and walks over towards Eudora, and rips the spear out of her hands.

I prepare myself for an attack, when suddenly the spikes in the sarcophagus' sprint out in a straight line and almost protrude through everyone's body. Orion stands still, Eudora moves her body just in time to dodge the spikes, and Mickaela ducks down and drops to the floor, holding her breath and sucking her stomach in, in order to dodge the attacks.

Me, on the other hand, move my arm a little too late and it gets punctured by the spike. There's a burning pain that seers through that arm, and it makes me feel like I literally just put my hand in a lit flame. I wince, hoping to find some way to remove the spikes.

Fortunately, I didn't have to – the Gamemakers removed the spikes and put them back into the sarcophagus', and closed them.

Orion quickly takes advantage of my pain and grabs me by the collar of my shirt, dragging me across the floor to one of the closed sarcophagus'. I expected him to start this, and he did exactly what I thought he would do, so I do my best to prepare for the force of impact. He rams me into the sarcophagus, smashing my head back and forth, over and over again until I feel myself losing consciousness.

''Orion, stop!'' I hear a faint voice, just before my vision goes blurry.

Suddenly, and luckily, Orion lets go of my hair and looks at his District Partner, his axe still in hand, while his spear is lying right next to me. I could use this moment to stab it straight through his leg and knock him off balance. Maybe, if Eudora can continue to distract him. Slowly, reaching to my left, I clutch his spear and prepare myself to pierce his legs.

Eudora grabs Orion's arm, trying to stop him from his onslaught. ''Orion, you don't have to do this!'' He turns and looks at her, a grimace on his face. ''Please, I know this isn't you. You don't have to continue, he's basically dead! Look at him, he's already unconscious. Don't you think the force of his head meeting the rough surface of the sarcophagus will kill him? Just leave him alone.''

Quickly, I shut my eyes closed in order to play it off. Although I probably shouldn't have done that, because, well... ''You're right,'' Orion says, shaking his head in disbelief. ''I was just blinded... I-I... I should've listened to you before, Eudora.''

''I'm glad-''

''Psyche!'' He slaps her hand away from his arm. ''Even if he is dead, that doesn't matter. It only means that I should change who my target is. Isn't that right?'' Eudora steps back, slowly stuttering when he approaches her. She tries to make a run for it and escape, but Orion quickly grabs her by a fistful or hair and brings her back.

''MICKAELA!'' Eudora screams at the top of her lungs. ''MICKAELA, HEL-!''

Before the girl from Seven could even dare to finish her sentence, Orion forcefully slams her body onto the floor and pins her down, pressing his knees down against her arms. From behind, I see Mickaela staring, a look of horror on her face. Orion uses his axe to cut both of the straps from Eudora's shoulder off, and kicks aside the duffle-bag that belongs to District Seven. He quickly turns his attention back to her, and glares.

''You all thought I was some friendly, enjoyable child who had an enthusiastic personality, didn't you,'' Orion says, smirking. ''Well, that was all of your mistakes. Just ask Carter, and his District Partner, and now, when you get to the other side, you can tell everyone just exactly who killed you. And you can also let them know who's winning these Games: me. Nobody believed I could do it, not even myself. I'm surprised I got this far, but I did. And I will win.''

''HER-!'' Eudora tries to scream, but the words barely escape her lips and she doesn't get the chance to ask for help before Orion's axe enters her throat, and slices horizontally, cutting deep into the surface of her flesh.

I stare in shock, absolutely horrified that the sound of her cannon booming doesn't even register in my mind.

* * *

 **Orion Aquarius, 17;**

 **District Seven Male**

Slowly, I ascend from Eudora's limp body. I regret absolutely nothing, although I know that both Chantell and Relmo are probably pissed off at me. I can visualize them both yelling in front of the screen right now, hating me for what I've just done. I know that it was wrong, to kill my own District Partner, but she was in my way of winning.

Not that I could even win. I just said that to boost my confidence, but I have none. Literally none, zip, zero. But it's fine, because if I truly try, I can win. Hero still isn't dead, although he should be, and Mickaela isn't much. I can even feel her staring at me right now. We talked back in the Training Center, but we were never close friend – and we won't ever be.

Now approaching Hero, I go to pick up my spear but he beats me to it and stabs it straight into my left leg. I scream and drop to the floor, the blood escaping now. Doing my best to get away, I begin crawling back and grit my teeth. Hero gets up quickly, patting the new founded wound that I gave him only a couple of minutes ago.

He slowly approaches me, and actually leans his arm down for me to grab onto. I look at him perplexed. ''What do you think you're doing?'' I ask, grinding my teeth back and forth. I slap his hand away, shaking my head in disbelief. It's the final three and here he is, offering me a hand. ''I don't want your help. Can't you see that I'm trying to kill you?''

Sighing, he just turns away without saying a final word. Angrily, I shout at him. ''Hey! Are you serious right now?! Don't just turn your back on me!'' I struggle to get up, but I'm able to use the axe as support. Hero gets on his knees, right next to Eudora's body, and slowly places two fingers on one of her eyelids individually, and slowly brings them down.

''Aw, wow,'' I mutter. ''What a kind act you just did there, letting her rest in peace. It won't change a damn thing, you know? She's still dead, and she'll always remain that way forever.''

''She was your District Partner!'' He yells.

''So?!''

''You know what,'' he says, giving me the dirtiest look ever. ''I can't even say anything because I killed my District Partner, too.''

''See!''

''You didn't let me finish!'' He grunts. ''I didn't kill because I wanted to, or because I had to, but it was to end her pain and suffering. You act as if doing this is normal, when it's not! You think everything is so plain and easy, don't you? That you can just walk over everyone and go around with this fake personality of yours, and now you have the audacity to smile after what you've just done!''

I have no comment for his words. Sighing, I finally get up, clutch the wound in my leg, and smile devilishly at Hero. ''Well, it's whatever now,'' I shrug. ''She's dead, and you'll soon be, too, so I don't care. Her death is in the past now, and although I know I'll be hated for it, I could care less what anyone thinks.''

''I HATE YOU!'' I hear, and just as I'm about to turn around, Mickaela brings down a large knife onto my shoulder.'' Yelling in pain, I drop to the floor and quickly roll around. Her knife is swung down and enters my stomach, making me yell out, and she just leaves it there. I feel the tears beginning to roll down my cheek, and no matter how much I try to hold back my tears, to show the Capitol that I can handle this and to not give into this little girl's hatred, I can't help but feel weak.

She kicks me in the shoulder over and over again, and I can't help but grow angry. The knife wound hurts, and I'm clutching it as tightly as possible, both my shoulder and my stomach. I could care less, though, because I'm not going out by a twelve-year-old's hand. I will not let her embarrass me in front of Panem.

Ripping the knife out of my shoulder, I quickly grip it and use it to stab Mickaela's foot. The knife goes straight through her boot and draws blood immediately, making the girl jump back in fear. She looks down at me, tears in her eyes, and begins trembling incessantly. Now laughing out loud, I quickly use my last bit of strength to stand up and try- I repeat, try to run after her.

Hero grips my wounded shoulder roughly, and reacting on suspicion, I quickly stab him in the side and forcefully push him back. Now charging at Mickaela, the small girl falls to the floor and her hair flies up, blocking her face. She lands roughly on the floor, her head bouncing off of the wood.

Checkmate.

''ORION, NO! SHE'S JUST A LITTLE GIRL!''

 _Too bad_ , I think to myself.

I purposely drop to the floor now, aiming my knife for Mickaela's throat. Her pupils dilate, her eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to scream, but I quickly cup my hand over it and slam her head even further into the wood, even to the point where I hear a crack. Quickly, I scoop the knife across her forehead and draw blood immediately.

Mickaela lets out all sorts of muffled screams, terrifying, haunted, chilling screams that make me quiver. I'm somehow able to keep myself steady keep calm, turning my head back to Hero every other second in order to see what he's doing – he just stands there, tears streaming down his face, a grieving look in his eyes.

Now turning back to Mickaela, I continue drawing on her forehead, skewering my knife left and right, over and over again. She just won't stop screaming, though, even with all the blood that's escaping. I continue to dig deeper and deeper until the knife is blocked by bone, but her cannon still doesn't ring and she still won't stop screaming!

''SHUT UP!'' I yell, now growing tired of the situation. Letting go of the knife, I clasp both of my hands around her throat and repeatedly slam her head into the ground, just like I did with Hero. She's still not _dying_! Finally being over this situation, I then begin to strangle her, pressing harder and harder against her throat until I hear a quick snap.

 _Boom!_

Her cannon rings.

Hero stands there, shaking in his boots. ''What?'' I shrug, still staring down at Mickaela's body. I'm trying not to show it, but I'm beginning to feel some regret after killing a little girl. To put the masculinity look back on, I grab the knife and rip it out of her forehead, just to forcefully jam it back inside. ''It's the Games, anything goes. E-Everyone has to d-die.''

My voice begins faltering, and I start regretting my decision. After all that, the thunderstorm stops and a bright, radiating light shines on the Pyramid that Hero and I are on. But not before Eudora and Mickaela's faces show up in the sky. Seeing Eudora's face, another tear actually rolls down my cheek. I shake my head, trying to relinquish this feeling of mine. _What is this feeling, anyway?_

Forcefully, the Pyramid begins to shake, and it begins to ascend into the air. Hero stares at me with bloodshot eyes, but he's somehow able to keep his balance. While I'm unable to keep steady and repeatedly fall, the movement of the Pyramid dragging my body towards the exit. I'm able to grab a counter to hold myself steady, and take a look behind me.

In the air, four suns all merge together, along with rocks that are shooting up from the ground. I stare in amazement, looking at something so unbelievably real, and begin to lose myself to its beauty. We finally stop, and I take a look below to see that we're thousands of feet in the air. Shakily, I turn back towards Hero, and with a prepared stance from the both of us, we charge at each other.

I swing my axe straight for Hero's neck, but he predicts that I was going to do that and slides under me, scratching the blade of the machete onto my leg. I'm unable to hold my composure and fall a little bit, the pain in my leg and stomach both hurting. The more I struggle, the more blood that escapes from my stomach. Biting down, I get back up and charge at him again.

Quickly, I sidestep, but Hero predicts that, too, so he sends the machete's shaft down onto my foot and punches me in the neck. Choking, I cough and fall back, barely holding onto my axe anymore. Desperately, I search for my spear – after all, two weapons is always better than one, so I _need_ it.

Running from Hero, I quickly jolt my head back and forth, but I'm unable to find it. The sound of his feet stomping against the wood distracts me, and when I turn around, I see him sprinting forward. I step out of the way, but he draws the machete the same way that I do, drawing a thin red line across my dirty top.

He turns around, his teeth bared and shining perfectly white in the sunlight. He charges again, but this time, I move out of the way and grab the back of his collar and slam him into the ground. He lets go of the machete and I kick it aside, now having complete control over the fight.

I stomp my leg on his stomach, but he grabs it and holds onto it tightly. ''Get off of me!'' I demand, now trying to pull away. Before I can react, he pulls out one of many dull knives that I catch sight of in his pocket. He tries to swing at me, but the knife is dull, so there's no way it can do-

''AGH!'' I yell, screaming back when he jams it into my leg. I try jumping back, but he just gets up and punches me right in the mouth. Doubling over, I barely manage to hold my balance, and I'm unable to move when he grabs me by my collar, this time, and uppercuts me.

''What a valiant effort to do something that's impossible,'' I laugh. ''I appreciate your efforts, but you're not going to win!''

Grabbing his arm, I swing my axe onto it, the blood instantly rushing out. He screams, but he manages to pull away. And just when I think I have him, he ducks, runs under my swung arm, and quickly throws one of his knives at my back – it hits dead center on my spine and sends me falling forward.

Just when I think he's going to let me fall peacefully, he rushes over and picks me up respectfully. ''I'm sorry,'' he whispers. In one swift motion, he rips out another knife, the tip extremely sharp, and raises his left hand up on quivering arms, and buries the knife into my chest.

The stab is messy and my blood spurts out all over the place. This time, though, I notice that there aren't any tears in his eyes. Wow, what a guy. He cries for everyone else's deaths except for mine. What a warrior.

I just can't believe it. I lock eyes with him, and it's not even in fear. I'm just shocked... that I actually lost to him. Wow. Now I'm chuckling, swaying back and forth as he lets me go, my body falling like a toy that's just been knocked off of a shelf. Why am I chuckling, you might ask?

Well, you know that laugh you let out whenever you know you messed up; whenever you know that you're doomed, and whatever that's coming forth won't disappear? Yeah, well, I know now that death is unavoidable for me, and that I've just lost. I might as well accept it, because I'm not getting back up.

And because of him, nonetheless.

Blood starts escaping from my lips, and I can't stop myself from rolling towards the exit of the Pyramid. ''Goodbye, Orion.'' He says, his last words to me. See, I never knew the kid well, but he actually did me proud. He's been the only one to actually bring me towards death in this Arena, and I'm quite proud of that. Funny, huh? How I'm having a change of heart at the moment of my death...

My body flings off of the Pyramid exit, me being unable to support myself from falling. So now I'm free-falling in the air, my head down and my legs up, my hair flapping all over my face. _Just hope that you die before you hit the ground_ , I joke to myself. Ha, that's funny...

Before my eyelids shut completely, I make out two large planetary figures made completely out of rocks. The bright light from the suns are shining on them, covering the entire Arena in a beautiful array of warm heat. There's a giant One and Seven on each of them separately, and I watch as the one with a Seven on it quickly crumbles, with all the pieces of it crashing to the floor.

The one with a One on it shines brighter than ever, and just before I fall asleep, I can make out Addison's announcement. Oh, Addison... Her voice even falters, and it just goes to show you how much the Capitol didn't want Hero to win. She even begins sucking her teeth. I bet she's shaking her head right now.

 **''Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Victor of the One Hundred Seventy-Fifth Annual Hunger Games: Hero Kane!''**

Unbelievable. Darkness begins to consume me. I lost to him?

''How unfortunate.''

* * *

 **4th – Eudora Bayard, District Seven**

 **3rd – Mickaela Robenson, District Ten**

 **2nd – Orion Aquarius, District Seven**

 **1st – Hero Kane, District One**

* * *

 **Haley. Ah, Eudora was such a great tribute, I should've told you that more often. I remember first receiving her; you had her all planned out and everything, and I swear only a couple minutes after publishing this story you submitted her. I was so delighted when I got her, and I kept rereading her form over and over again. She was so fun to write, and I really appreciated having her in this story. You gave me such a great character to work with, and I remember even having you read her POVs early for me, just to get your opinion on her. At first, when I received her, I thought of Eudora as my Victor. That's because with the first ten or so tributes that I got, she stood out the most to me, and I really loved her, so I basically decided on her from the get-go. But then, other tributes came along and I was like, ''Oh, shit... She has competition.'' Well, she did, but Eudora kept true to her word. She said that she wouldn't die as lamely as she did in her last Games, and she didn't, so be proud of her for that. I surely am. But still, she was so fun for me to write, and I couldn't have enjoyed her more. She was so nice and boisterous but sophisticated and mature at the same time, and I really loved that about her. She was hard not to love, in my eyes, and I'm glad that you submitted her to me. Thank you! :) R.I.P. Eudora. But hey, at least you didn't place second this time around. ;)**

 **20\. Jesus Christ, you always make the most amazing tributes for plot, and Mickaela added a ton to the plot. I loved how she was so complicated, child-like, and realistic at the same time. I can't tell you how many girls I know in real life who had that somewhat same personality as Mickaela, and hanging around them at times with other friends really helped me get to be able to write her more simply. She was just very easy to write, but I thought I screwed her up the first couple of times until you told me to keep it up. Let's face it, I think I screw every character up, and even though I'm sure that I do, you guys always manage to bring me back up and put a smile on my faces by telling me I did well, and Mickaela was one of those main tributes. She has a very complicated fanbase, I guess you would say? She was liked some chapters, disliked other chapters. And then on polls she would receive up to 6 votes but then people would be complaining the next chapter and be like, ''Mickaela's so annoying, dammit, kill her!'' And I just sat behind my phone screen questioning the people who supported her. I just didn't understand XD But still, Mickaela was a blast ever since the beginning, and I truly, truly loved writing for her. She was... God, she was a beautiful tribute to begin with, and she had that great mentality to her, and her and Eudora's little bonding at the end here really made me happy. I just can't thank you enough for submitting her to me. I know that people will hate on me or whatever, but I placed her 3rd because I wanted to break that stereotypical bullshit of twelve-year-olds never making it far. Well, guess who proved them wrong. R.I.P.**

 **Reader. God dammit, Reader, do you know how hard it was for me to kill Orion this chapter. I legit had tears in my eyes while writing his death, because I appreciated him so damn much. He was a great tribute from the beginning, and he was always my favorite out of all the other tributes in the story. He was such a great antagonist, and I loved the fact that I was able to write him. You kept bringing me up every chapter that he was in, saying, ''You're doing well,'' or something like that, and that always brought a smile to my face; a bright, radiating smile. I loved Orion to the point where I wished he was my own tribute XD I was just so happy when I received him, and I knew that I could do so much with him. People seriously disliked him, and I didn't understand it. He was a Stu in some people's eyes, but I didn't see him as one. Sometimes, I just thought that I screwed Orion up and that you were telling me he was good just to make me happy, because I think a great tribute like that deserves to be liked. Working with him was so simple, and you gave me a tribute with just a perfect amount of description that wasn't too much, and it wasn't too little. It had just to right amount, and I couldn't love that about him anymore than I already did. I knew that not many people supported Orion, and that he was probably at the bottom of the liked tributes for many people, but he always put a smile on my face, and sometimes I thought I showed my preference when putting him in all these chapters, so obviously I had to slow that down. Orion, sadly, wasn't Victor. I thought of him as Victor so many damn times, though, I lost track of how many. Initially, it was supposed to be him, Parvati and Isha in the finale, and then he would've killed Parvati, then Isha would've killed him. Or, it would've been backwards and Isha would've killed Parvati, and he would've killed her. I had it all planned out, and I was ready to fulfill that dream of him winning, but then Hero and him tied together, and I was just... I was conflicted. I had so many ideas for him, like I was gonna ask you if I could change his romantic status and set a relationship with him and Addison, then Addison and him, despite the four year age difference, would've loved each other and she would've been executed, and he would have started a rebellion and- everything was just there. Unfortunately, though, he didn't win, and I'm sorry. I loved him, and I thank you so much for submitting him. R.I.P. Orion, you will be missed.**

 **Wizard. I bet you're happy, aren't you, buddy? Well, first, let me tell you that Hero was initially going to place 13th like it said on the blog, but then I started thinking more... Hero and Levi both would have made it far, and would've died one after another. Hero was gonna place 6th and killed by Asyrin, but that would have been in order to fulfill Isha's victory. He would've been stabbed multiple times, and then a chapter after Levi would have been killed by a mutt. Then I thought of Isha dying by Asyrin's hand in a gruesome way, but I decided on having him kill her simply so that they could have their last conversation together. Hero wasn't one of my favorites at first; in fact, I liked Levi more than him for a certain amount of time, but then I realized how MUCH development this guy could go through. The immature kid who loved pranking, to the kid who lost allies, to the kid who killed, to the kid who started changing, to the kid who made another kid, then to the kid who lost MORE allies, and finally the boy who stood up for what he believed was right and won the Games. Hero winning was something that really shocked me, but I'm glad I decided on him, because I have a lot planned for him. And yes, Hero will be mentoring alongside Gari in my next SYOT. Hero was one of those Careers that I just loved – the ones who had skill and talent but never used them to their full advantage and were hesitant on killing. The reason for them volunteering, in Hero's case, before he died, is always different from the other ones, and that's why they stand out so much. Hero made many people happy, including myself, and I couldn't get over him some chapters. I loved how he let me add emotion to it, add comedy, and so much more. I was very shaky on letting him win months ago, always thinking about if I would regret it or not, or just not having very much to do with him, but then he started popping up in my mind over and over again, and I finally settled down on him. Hero, like all of your tributes, was amazing, and I had such a blast writing him. You don't even know, and you telling me that I wrote him perfectly each and every chapter made my confidence soar, and I knew that he would be my desired Victor in the end. I can't thank you enough for submitting him, and we'll be seeing more of him soon. Thank you for submitting him, and congratulations on your second Victor. :)**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, guys! Okay, so this A/N's gonna be short. I'm sorry if some things said in this AN make no sense, I didn't go back to proofread it. I proofread Orion's POV and then just wrote this, finished it up and decided to update, so maybe I'll go back and fix all the errors later. But yeah, I know, I said I would leave it off at a cliffhanger, but I really didn't wanna do that. It takes too much effort, and you all know I'm lazy as hell. ANYWAY, Hero won! How many of you are happy? Probably all of you, since you were all voting for him. Some of you weren't, but that's fine. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter anyway. So yeah, I'm tired as hell, it's only eight thirty here but I've been writing the last three POVs ever since twelve o'clock. Yeah, that's sad, spending my entire Thursday on a computer, but whatever, man. It's whatever. Anyway, I have some questions I'd love for you to answer. :) Oh, wait. A special message from Brooke, by the way, who apparently has theories about this story. So enjoy.**

* * *

 **Okay. Ansley, you have to feature this next chapter: OrionXCarter. Yes, you have to include this whole paragraph into your actual story. I need to start the next ship, because it seems like it's too late (to say sorrryyyyyy) to make anymore legit ships, so I guess I'll have to propose a deadxliving type shit. No, I'm campaigning! Okay?! OrionXCarter will live on, and YES YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE THIS EVIDENCE I FOUND INSIDE THE NEXT CHAPTER'S AN. THIS IS NOT AN OPTION. Here comes my evidence!:  
You know how before two people get together, they always tease each other rite? Well, Carter constantly teases Orion during Training and stuff. SO DING FOR GAY SHIP!  
Cough cough Will Solace and Nico di bAI (DING FOR GAY SHIP!)  
Orion is from D7 and Carter is from D12. 7 and 12 combined is 19. And 19 upside down is 61. And 61 is 7. And 7 sounds like ironing board. And ironing boards are made of cereal. And cereal lucky charms. And once, I found a paperclip in a Lucky Charms cereal box. I FOUND ME IN ORIONXCARTER WHAT WHERE THE FUCK AM I GOING WITH THIS  
Orion kills Carter. Some Edward Bella type shit.  
Orion hallucinates and dreams of Carter. Carter is the man of Orion's dreams. ;UUU  
Carter couldn't stay away from Orion so he HAD to pollute Orion's dream and make it full of him.**

 **This is obviously valid evidence it took years of investigation to achieve. Please feature this whole fucking review (or selective parts I don't give a crap) in the A/N. I hope the readers die from random SPARKLESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! (Emma this is reference to ya!)**

 **OKAY I AM OFFICIALLY HIGH. GOODBYE.**

 **SPARKLESSSSSSSSSSSSS!**

* * *

 **Okay. Now, onto the questions :)**

* * *

 **Did you enjoy the chapter?**

 **Favorite POV?**

 **Least favorite POV?**

 **Favorite moment?**

 **Are you happy with the Victor?**

 **Overall, did you enjoy the story? If you could let me know why you did or why you didn't, like with sentences and not just adjectives, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you :)**

 **What do you think of Brooke's theory? Amazing, right?**

* * *

 **Anyway, that's all for night. I think I'm gonna go lie down on my bed and sleep, nodding to myself as I've just accomplished another SYOT, and this one in under 30 chapters, which was my goal from the beginning. Anyway, you guys have been wonderful with the reviews and feedback, and I appreciate you all so much. I don't think I've told you all that yet, but I truly do appreciate it. And if anyone's interested, I will be posting up the submission form for my next SYOT after the next chapter, which will be life after Hero's victory and the Victor's Tour and all that junk. I'm proud of myself for this chapter, and in my opinion, it was the best one yet. Anyways, thank you all for reading. Love you all, and congratulations to Hero for winning.**

 **See you all next time. Bye! ^-^**


	29. Struggling Dreams And Accomplishments

**Epilogue:**

* * *

 **Gari Salvatore, 19;**

 **District One Mentor**

* * *

Gari sat quietly and calmly on the seat cushions, watching carefully as the boy from Seven crushes the girl from Ten's neck with his bare hands. The boy peered up and licked his lips, and taunted Hero as if he knows he's already won. ''Final two,'' Gari whispered to himself, observing carefully.

A picture of Parvati, the one he had to mentor, flashed in his mind and got him to reminisce. He couldn't care less whether she died or not, he was just disappointed in how she went out. Killed by her own District Partner, killed with such a low score, and that being his first tribute to mentor. What a shame, a sad tale of a first partnership.

He's completely over it.

''Gari, look!'' Reese tapped on Gari's shoulder. When Gari ascended his head and stared forward, what he saw shocked him. The boy from Seven has a knife stuck in his chest, and Hero has just pushed him away, allowing the boy to slide off of the Pyramid and free-fall through the never-ending sky.

A giant boulder in the sky descended and crumbled, showing that District One had taken the Victory Crown this year. The Seven in the sky began tumbling to the ground and following after the boy from Seven.

 _Boom!_

The cannon sounded and small pebbles smashed against the boy from Seven's face. After that, the frames switched to the boy from One, who stared down at him with teary eyes. The boy from One – the latest Victor – fell to his knees and pressed the tip of the throwing knife against his face, wiping away the bloody tears that escaped his eyelids.

When they announced Hero's Victory, it's like Gari's world has just been turned upside down. His eyes widened, and a strong force knocked the wind out of him. It's like he was blind in a tree during his time in the Arena, waiting for game to wander by. He dozed off and fell ten feet to the ground, landing on his back.

It was as if the impact had knocked every wisp of air from his lungs, and he sat there struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do _anything_. He felt rough, terrible. Gari began to struggle like he's forgotten everything. Forgotten how to breathe, how to speak, totally stunned at what he's watching on T.V.

Gari didn't know how to feel or what to do at this current moment. All he knew was that an automatic hovercraft would be waiting for him outside. There's a beat in Gari's heart that's telling him to get up, but he struggles to meet the needs. The President would be upset if Gari didn't hurry up, but his body just won't help him move.

Gari's fellow Mentor Reese turns and stares at him. There's a huge grin on her face, just showing her status and how well of a Mentor she is. ''That's two in a row, sweetie,'' Reese stated. The look on Reese's face was cocky, which contrasts from the disappointed, amazed, yet shocked look on Gari's face.

''YES!'' Priscille jumped up and squealed. The joy lit up on the Escort's face as she hopped up and down. The thoughts running through Gari's head were very complicated, not only showing his amazement, but also showing his defeat. How he told Hero he was a one of a kind that nobody understood, someone who would never win.

Gari feels like such a fool now. He might as well be put behind a jail cell with face paint on to make him look like a clown, with children and adults pointing and laughing at his hypocrisy. Priscelle slowly walked up to Gari and placed her soft, gentle palms on his shoulder.

Gari, being the brute he is, pushed her kind gesture away and barked at her. The anger flooded the room before anything else happens, and Gari was already on his way up the elevator. Reese was following right after, jogging her way to the elevator. The two of them stood there together, completely opposite looks on each other's faces.

Despite their dispute and arguments, they loved each other dearly. Gari only got set back because of the emotions rising up his body. He even let out an unwanted chuckle, something nobody thought he would do. Luckily, only Reese was here to see – to see the sweet side of him that only she ever received after his Games and before.

When the elevator doors opened, Reese took a hold of Gari's hand and stepped out with their fingers locked together, like a mother and son would do. ''You know you love him,'' Reese whispered in Gari's ear, giggling when Gari furrowed his eyebrows.

The two of them began to laugh together, letting their amusement and rough complexity take the better of them. Maybe this was a cruel joke on Gari, but in the end, it was whatever. There is nothing that will allow this to change, because in a couple of days, there will be a massive party with strobe lights and streakers to celebrate the Victory of Hero Kane, and this would continue until the Capitol burned to the ground.

Hero, someone that Gari never thought he would like, has forced a smile on the Victor's face. ''Oh, cheer up, Gari!'' Gari couldn't cheer up, though, because today was a special day to him. This was the day that Gari's father, a wealthy, well-off man, walked out of his life, leaving him and his mother to starve and cry and spend their days out in the streets. Reese just realized Gari's backstory revolved around this day by the expression on his face, and quickly changed her expression to one of forgiveness-seeking.

So this rough image, the cocky, unhesitating killer from District One kept his face stony cold and firm. The funny thing is, why does Gari show this hatred and suspense towards Hero. Hero has the same appearance of his father, which brings back memories of Hell, and seeing the boy win... What a cruel way to start off the new year.

The beginning of a new era has started, and Gari knows it. Nothing will ever be the same.

''I'll frown if I want to,'' he says. A small tear trickled down his cheek.

* * *

 **Hero Kane, 17;**

 **District One Victor**

* * *

Hero sat on his knees for a couple of short moments, trying to disguise the pain that he was feeling his abdomen. The entire area of his stomach was boiling hot with a burning sensation that just wouldn't go away. There's no immunity to how he was feeling right now, and Hero knew it. Despite Orion's cannon booming a while ago, he just couldn't help but not get over the terrible sadness that he felt.

His eyes began to flutter, like he was running out of time. But just as Hero fell to the floor, his hands clutched tighter at his stomach; squeezing, doing the best he could to reduce the pain. Fortunately, a hovercract came diving straight through the forcefield of the Arena, and entered into the Pyramid that Hero lied down on.

Quickly, a leather rope with a metal claw shot out of the hovercraft and picked Hero up by his tainted Arena Outfit. He's calmly lifted up into the air, allowing the blood that's dripping from his shirt to soak freely. Hero is quickly appointed to, with Capitol Medicine Staff workers quickly attained to his broken body.

His eyes began to dim, slowly decreasing to end such a long and rough day. He had seen mutilation, he had seen mutts, he had seen death, he had seen everything a person would wish they never had to experience in their entire life. But what he's seen is now stuck in his head forever. Even the image of his two dear allies, who he cherished deeply, repeat over and over again.

Even so, he doesn't allow it to destroy him. Both Reese and Gari turned to look at Hero when he let out a grunt, both carefully inspecting how deep his wounds were. Blood continues to push out of his body, but he keeps a look of hope on his face, showing that he hasn't given up yet. Every Victor goes through this, they all escape with some type of nasty and disorderly wound.

Even Gari has faced that circumstance, but he dared not to bring it up. ''Why are you smiling?'' Gari questioned, almost furiously. ''You're on the brink of death, yet you maintain such a happy composure. That stupid grin is still on your face, despite your cherished friends being dead. Doesn't that hurt you in any way?''

Reese attacked Gari for his words, yelled meaningful things about respect and friendship and loyalty – things that Hero has shown throughout his one week in Hell. Despite the battles and difficult circumstances he's had to go through, especially the one with his own District Partner, he has still managed to look on the brighter side of things.

How he can remain so optimistic is what everyone questions. And despite his emotions leaking, and the numb shot softening the pain of the stitches going in and out of his abdomen, he stays calm and doesn't falter.

''What a gift he has,'' Reese commented. ''Only if everybody else in this world could be as happy as you, then maybe some of these situations wouldn't be occurring.''

''I agree,'' Gari responded.

And that's all Hero needed to hear before he dazed off into a deep sleep. He might have a concussion, he might not wake up for a while, but he still has his spirit – and that's more than anybody could ever ask for.

* * *

 **Addison Chevel, 20;**

 **Capitol Interviewer**

* * *

Addison stared in the mirror as she brushed up on her looks. The paint brush that she dripped in mascara is placed on the bags of her eyes to give her a perfect appeal. She looked in the mirror again, rested her chin on her fist as she leaned in closer to peck a cheeky kiss that stained the mirror in blood red lipstick.

''Hey, Gari!'' Addison smiled, spinning around in her chair to face the Victor. Gari smiled at her, then approached casually. Addison looked back and chuckled as the marked lipstick on the mirror is centered right on Gari's appearance. ''Looking cute, as usual. Nothing more, nothing less.''

''You're gonna make Hero look good,'' Gari responds to her introductory sentence. Addison turned back to Gari and gave him a questioning look. It's almost as if a large question mark hovered over her head, but Gari repeated himself to make it clear. ''You will make Hero look good in the eyes of Capitol. Nothing more, nothing less.''

Looking up, Addison startled backward as Gari stood directly in front of her, and flashed her hand to her side. She wanted to say something, but she relented doing so. Arguing with Gari wouldn't be a smart decision, but agreeing with him isn't something that she will guarantee.

She knows what she's been instructed to do, and that's to interview the current Victor like she's done for the past three years of her life. Since seventeen – young, yeah – she's been doing her job, whether it ended up making the tributes look good or bad. Yet, it doesn't matter to her. At the end of the day, she completed her assignment and made bank her own way.

Tapping her restless hand on her upper thigh, Addison crossed her legs together and pursed her lips. ''What do I get if I do make him look good?'' She asked, a little bit wistfully. Unfortunately, those were the wrong choice of words. Gari, with a deep sigh, grabbed a hold of Addison's well-nurished hair, and pulled as hard as he could.

''You'll get to keep your life,'' he warned. Biting down hard on her tongue, Addison nodded her head before she said something that she'd eventually end up regretting in the long-run. She wasn't worried, no. She had no reason to be worried, as long as she did what she was told – like she had done her entire life. Unfortunately.

Right now, all she had to do was focus on not only making herself look presentable, but also Hero. So, as Gari left and the sweat beaded down her neck and into her tight outfit, she sighed and finished up. When she got up, she practiced walking in her ten inch heels and strutted across the room, measuring her posture, composure, and representation.

The minutiae that all of the Districts found meaningless had always been a huge part of Capitol fashion, and only those who have lived most of their lives in the great city itself would know that. After fixing up her hair, Addison listened for her buzzer to go off, indicating that it's time to introduce Hero and begin the Capitol Interview of the century.

But before she left, she paused for a brief moment, taken aback by what Gari had told her just a few moments ago. Addison had always been one to listen to her superiors, but there were times when she'd wished that at least some – one – person treated her with decency and respect. Something that not even an Interviewer like her received.

Letting out a pent-up breathe, Addison began to twirl her hair with just a right amount of flourish to get herself ready to walk out into the crowd and meet the pairs of thousands of eyes. As Addison walked out, the crowd all stood up in an uproar of excitement and readiness. Maybe the audience was where the respect that she had always craved for was held.

Under the fluorescent light, Addison's entire body shined, specifically her golden blonde hair. Her nerves began to take the better of her as Gari's words continued to replicate in her mind. And after all of the applaud, on this loud afternoon in the Capitol, Addison grabbed a microphone with tremulous fingers, but spoke out confidently.

''Welcome, Capitol, to your Victor's Interview!'' With a semi-forced nod, Addison pumped her hands into the air and the Capitol soon followed, letting out another barrage of cheers. The screaming and cheering and hooting is so loud that it felt as if an earthquake was attacking the Capitol, shaking the Interview Stadium with a trembling force.

''Now, here's the moment you've all been waiting for,'' she mentioned, now starting the show off with a bang – the only bang. ''Introducing the Victor of the One Hundred Seventy-Fifth Annual Hunger Games, Hero Kane!''

While everyone else cheered for the boy who scored a _8_ , Addison thought about the boy who scored a _10._ She sometimes wished that Hero was killed at the earliest possible convenience, that all of that luck he had during the Games didn't come. Everybody understands that he won because of who his allies were, because of how much their storyline gave the Capitol an interest, and because of how likable he was.

But everyone knows the real goal of the Hunger Games – to please the Capitol, and to gain a Victor that will be remembered for years. Now, not to say that Addison doesn't believe Hero won't be remembered, but she always thought that Orion would have been the better choice. But when she saw his face in the sky, and after remembering that she was voting for him throughout the entire journey, it made her feel so disgusted.

The sympathy that she felt for some of these tributes was sympathy that she'd never shown to anyone besides family, but now she can really say that she's sorry. She shakes her head, though. In a twisted way, she actually hoped that they all died and didn't have to go through the suffering that everyone in Panem – even some Capitolites – had to deal with.

What a shame.

But when Hero sat down, Addison forgot about all of her thoughts and began speaking. She leaned closely towards Hero, watched as his cheeks turned a shade of flushed red because of his weakness when it comes to women, and laughed as she she asked, ''How do you feel, Hero? What's it feel like to win, to gain a second chance at life and enjoy what you've missed out on the first time around?''

Hero thought for a moment, pondering over what he's just been asked, when he grows a little emotional. His voice faltered, and Addison rolled her eyes, but a tingly feeling hits her deep in the heart, and she felt pity for the boy.

''I'm happy, yeah, being alive and all, but it's too early to talk about how I honestly feel,'' he stated. ''It's always been difficult, living and all. Sometimes it feels to me as if Isha and Asyrin and Parvati and the rest of them are just hanging with me, all of the friends that I've gotten to know. I appreciate the second opportunity at life, but if I'm being honest with you, I don't see what I'm living for...''

''What do you mean about that?'' Addison questioned. Hero relaxed his shoulders for a second and stared straight at Addison. Addison now flexed one eyebrow and anticipated Hero's answer.

''I mean that there's no point in living – I have no family still left alive, no friends, no nothing. What's the point of life if you're filled with an empty void that you know can't be filled?''

''W-Well, the Capitol is your family, Hero! We're also your friends, isn't that right?'' Addison called out, now making the Capitol go back to cheering. They all stayed quiet and somewhat ashamed at first, but with Addison's smart thinking, like always, it's helped her majorly. ''We all love you and think of you as our very own child. You're the Capitol Jokester, our ace!''

''And I appreciate that, but I guess—''

''But it's not just us, Hero. Everyone around the entire country loves you, especially the family members of those you left behind! Do you remember what Isha and Asyrin told you?: Don't let their deaths be for nothing – Isha has a daughter and Asyrin wants to be remembered, do you not want to help them out?''

The childish Victor sprang up out of his seat and stares up wide-eyed, remembering his promise. ''Yes, I do! It's actually not that bad, after all,'' he concurred. ''Life might be difficult from here on out, but I know that I can make it through with some help and motivation. And I know just how to achieve that.''

''Oh, really? And how are you gonna do that?''

''Well, I can't spoil it, can I?'' Hero said, and Addison leaned back against her chair. ''But seriously, you'll all see soon enough.'' Just when she thought he was done, Hero got up and said that he has a special gift for her. He took out a cute bow tie that was glamorized with crystals all over it, and places it on her head.

When she's about to thank him, Hero presses a button and water starts spraying downward like a waterfall, dripping from Addison's head down to her chin, then to her legs and down her stiletto heels. Addison jumped up, gasped, but then smiled cheekily. ''H-Hero, that w-was great!'' She lied. ''I see that you h-haven't l-l-let your sp-spirit fade.''

The air is cold and the night is young. The entire nation is bright and filled with lights, especially the Capitol streets and citizens outside with candles. But with nearly everything she's set her mind to, Addison forgot what has just happened and moved on.

''So, anyway, I think that's enough of an interview for now. If you don't mind, the Capitol and I would really appreciate if you watched a recap of your Games with us,'' Addison said, patting down on her seat for Hero to come sit down next to her. He huffs and puffs, then gets up and trudges toward her seat, and sits down uncomfortably.

Without a warning, she started the video and the entire Capitol went ecstatic. She noticed Hero gnawing on his bottom lip nervously, and kindly, she took him by the hand and reassured that everything would be alright, despite her dislike for him.

The entire audience gasped when they saw the girl from Eight, Candice, stab her own District Partner and kill him, then start booing. Killing your own District Partner is something that's disgraceful and looked down upon, unless it's a pity kill, which gave Hero the leverage.

Addison spotted that Hero winced at the corner of her eyes, just as Orion killed Carter and tossed his organs away, then pretended to be kind and thoughtful. Unfortunately, neither of them knew of his true demeanor and fell for his game, but he still didn't come out alive.

She tapped her feet against the tile, letting anxiety get over her, but she noticed how enthusiastic the Capitol was because of this interview.

One of the Capitolites in the audience grew way too excited for his own good and yelled, ''Turn on the holoscreen!'' Addison, obeying the request, flipped the holoscreen option just as soon as Orion threw his axe at the girl from Three's back, causing her to become paralyzed and fall to the floor. He slammed her own spear through her head as a mark of dominance, an act that showed he wasn't one to be reckoned with.

The audience, and even Addison, all groaned when they remembered how much of an amazing fight it would have been if either Orion and Asyrin or Isha collided in a fight. It's a shame that they didn't, but in the end, this year's Games were a success for the entire Nation, and Demetri Calderon did not upset Panem. This year's Games was another successful one to add to Demetri's list.

In fact, everyone was quite impressed. With no mutt kills, the Capitol enjoyed all tribute-on-tribute violence, which was something that they had never seen before.

They all hoped for a success the following year, but not all things come to fruition. They should know that.

More time passed by and everyone's eyes are glued to the screen, all of them paying close attention the first kill that their Victor made. With the girl from One recumbent on the floor and with deep holes in her body, everyone cheered as they watched Hero pierce her neck with his knife.

Addison cheered silently, then twisted her neck to catch a glimpse of Hero. The boy sat quietly, not even staring at the screen. More time passed by and the fight between the boy from Two and the girl from Eight played, the most bloody fight of this year's Games. After the gruesome beheading, after the boy from One's eyes widened increasingly, the final fights were shown.

Asyrin's death, Isha's fall, Eudora's unwilling sacrifice, Mickaela's determination, and Orion's underpowered confidence. And finally, the blood-stained hands of Hero as the camera zoomed out of the screen, and the video ended.

Hero squinted his eyes, trying to smother the image of the dying bodies. Addison felt a fading feeling in her stomach, something that screamed pity for the boy that she didn't like. But peoples' feelings tend to change over time, and she knew that the boy was going through something that nobody she knew would ever have to feel.

The pain of suffering, loss, and angst.

She prayed he would be restrengthened.

* * *

 **Hero Kane, 17;**

 **District One Victor**

* * *

The Victory Tour had stopped at District Two, with Hero finishing his heart-felt speech. Standing on the pedestal are Isha's family, a mother and father who don't show much of anything. And then there's an adult male with a child in his hands – probably Klaus and Colette, the people Isha told Hero about.

Images of Isha click in Hero's mind, and he quickly distinguished the similarities between the little girl and Isha. The male continued to stare hard at Hero, not with grieving eyes, but with... protective eyes?

Hero sighed and looked up, watching the clouds passing in front of the sun. Isha's voice rang in his mind, pleading for him to take Colette and bring her into a life that she would prosper in, not in one where she had no idea what her reason in life was for. So Hero, being the person who stayed true to his words, stepped away from the stage and into the Justice Building.

He slid to the floor, pressed his hands against his face, and cried. Remembering that there was nobody on Asyrin's family pedestal, he though of a way to make sure that the boy who was supposed to be Victor those Games was remembered. A statue. Not just one, but multiple.

''Hey!'' Gari muttered. ''Get up, you should be happy! Look at you, you're a Victor now, and you can go back home!'' Gari picked Hero up and pushed him in the chest, showing an act of amusement as another Victor has been brought back to District One. Although Gari never liked Hero, he didn't have a problem with another Victor from home. ''You're on a new level! Embrace that change to your life!''

''Gari, do you have the holographic watch? I need to call the President.'' Hero said.

''Yeah, but what for?'' Gari questioned. Sudden realization came to his head, and he began to groan. Gari knew that Hero was going to stick with what he had promised, by taking Colette and making sure that Asyrin was someone that District Two would always praise. ''You're going through with this?! Think about the alternative, forget about them!''

''The alternative is me going back to District One and forgetting about what I promised them,'' Hero stood up. Gari had the watch on his wrist, and Hero took hold of it. Without resistance, Gari let go of the watch and gave in to Hero's wishes. ''And I can't do that. I can't forget about either of them, or their words. They'll always be in my mind and haunt me, Gari, don't you understand? I guess you probably don't. You've never shown any sign of compassion.''

Minutes have passed and Hero has begged President Bengel over and over again to let him stay in District Two. After many failed attempts to reason with the President, Hero began to lose confidence and realized that he might not be able to do what he had promised to. Until...

''Wait, sir!'' Hero shouted. ''What if I went on a one-year break and stayed away from District One and let Gari and Reese take over. I could stay in District Two as a project or something, and we could say that I would return in time, and that would cause an uproar for the District? Imagine how shocked the Capitol would be, and imagine the reactions that District One would have once seeing me! Please, let it happen!''

President Bengel knew that it was a smart idea to get the crowd riled up for the upcoming Hunger Games next year, but he did not want to look like he could be played and associated with easily. But despite his fake tendencies, he agreed with Hero and let the plan slide, allowing him to carry on with his promises.

Some time went by after Gari and Reese left District Two without Hero, and now Hero Kane was all alone. Yes, there were countless pedestrians just roaming the streets of District Two, but nobody that he actually knew who would welcome him into their custody. After all, this was a strange and new experiencing site for the boy.

It took only weeks for Hero Kane to gain custody of Colette – but it did not come without troubles. When Hero contacted Klaus and the Levine family household, everyone there was against him taking the child away. There was conflict, an entire family yelling at him and demanding him that he leave, but Hero was a Victor.

He couldn't just be pushed around like that.

He did not want to use force to get Colette, so he did not. He contacted the President again, stating that he had a right to take Colette away. The little girl deserved to know where she came from, and everyone around knew that the current people she was surrounded by would never – ever – tell her the truth. Isha would always be a stranger to the girl if something wasn't done.

In the end, Hero was handed the child due to the Peacekeepers raided the home of the Levine's. Klaus was visiting Isha's parents at the time, trying to plan a way to keep that childish Victor away from them, but he knew time was up when the doors busted open. The little girl was so confused, being taken away from her Father and grandparents. She didn't understand why she was being given to someone who was such a stranger to her.

Sure, Hero was a familiar face on television, but she didn't know him. Hero's heart began to melt, and regret was bulging into becoming a common theme in his life. Regret with killing his District Partner, regret with being the one to live, and just a bit of regret when it came to taking away and innocent child from her past life.

But he knew it was the right thing to do. The girl that he was in love with had died wanting this, wanting the child that was forcefully taken away from her to be taken back from her unsupporting parents, and the undeserving, never-married father of Colette.

Hero and Colette had their difficulties over the past months. Colette would always thrash and yell, be disrespectful towards him, but only because of the new environment. Despite her being taken for the better, she still didn't appreciate him. Hero told Colette about Isha, about her being her mother and that Klaus took her away.

Colette screamed again. ''NO, THAT'S NOT FAIR! YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO GO BY YOUR RULES AND BE TAKEN AWAY, BUT I DON'T WANT THAT! I NEVER WILL!''

She ran up to her room, crying. Hero gave it some time, trying to figure out what to do. But then he stopped, not trying force it too much. The next day, when Colette exited from her room, Hero laid out a well-made breakfast for her and asked her to sit down next to him.

He breathed silently, trying to hold in the on-the-verge tears from spilling out of his eyes. He began to speak, telling her about all the stories that Isha would tell Hero about during their time in the Arena together. When they left Asyrin, when she told him everything, Hero let Colette know. And then he began comparing their similarities, how they both were strong and independent women who wanted to do big things in life.

Colette couldn't believe it. She knew that it was true, and that all the pieces filled in together perfectly like a puzzle, but she just didn't want to believe that she was taken away and not even given the right to know who her Mother was. Every time she asked, Klaus would always say, ''I'll tell you later,'' but now she knows.

Colette sheds her tears before Hero does, but seeing her cry made him cry instantly. The two held onto each other and sniffled together, but Hero knew that he had to stay strong – not only for her, but for Isha and Asyrin and himself.

Time started passing by, and the two began to grow on each other. Colette would never call Hero her real Father, but she would always call him some cheeky nickname and play with him. He would tickle her, take her to school, laugh with her, and despite picking her up late from whatever event that she had, he would always be that true Father Figure that she always needed.

She even aided him when it came to building Asyrin's statues. In the cemetery, she instructed that he and Isha would have monumental statues above their graves. Hero liked her idea, and so they were allowed to construct it. Together. Although it took some time and it was hard, the both of them worked hard to get it done. Oh, you thought I meant the statues above their graves? No, I meant the ones inside of their home!

In the living room, Isha's frame and Asyrin's cocky smile were there. Most people would think of it as weird, but Colette, despite not knowing Asyrin, enjoyed both of them being somewhere close to her. And what made her even more happy was that Hero was also right by her side, teaching her new things each and every single day.

But one morning, being the incredibly smart girl that she was, Colette snuck out of her home early to go pay the constructed monuments of Asyrin and Isha a visit. She didn't know Asyrin fairly well, but she still tried to understand how he felt in life.

She stood in front of their graves, staring mostly at Isha's. A hand grabs her shoulder and she instantly knows who it is. ''How'd I know you'd be here?'' Hero asked.

''Because you know me, doofus!'' Colette jokes. Time goes by and the both of them are now laughing. She jumped onto Hero's back and forced him to start marching like a pony. Hero picked up speed and the both of them enjoyed the moment, both feeling happy and proud of their relationship. But Hero, being clumsy, as usual, tripped over a rock and face planted into the ground, with Colette getting a nice, cushioning landing.

''You're such a clumsy fool!''

''I know...''

Colette slid closer to him and placed her hands around his head, then placed her forehead on his, stared him right in the eye, and smiled warmly at him.

''But you're my clumsy fool.''

* * *

 **Asyrin and Isha**

* * *

Asyrin Katchet and Isha Levine, both fallen tributes, stared down at their beautiful friend. Neither of the two knew where they were, but the golden gates and everlasting sunlight made it seem like Heaven. Surprising, isn't it? Being there, both killers, but they were both forced into something that they weren't exactly proud to participate in.

Not unless you count the former Asyrin. But with that little bit of change, it was enough to turn his entire life and faith around. Even if it was only for mere seconds. Time wasn't what mattered the most, it was his heart. And although Asyrin might still be the cocky, charming, back-talking boy he is, he's looked into a different light and made his way out of his former... activities?

 _Damn_. Asyrin thought. _Look at those statues of – whoa, who the hell is that? Is that... me?_ He chuckled to himself, thinking of the sarcastic questions he just asked. Isha turned her head to stare at him, and rolled her eyes. ''What?'' Asyrin asked, bending over, closer to her. ''Are you mad that you didn't get statues of you built around the main points of District Two just like me?''

''No,'' Isha smacked him. ''I rolled my eyes at you because of how arrogant and cocky you are. Not everything is about you, you know? Look at how far Colette and Hero have gone.''

''Oh, come on!'' Asyrin wrapped his arm around Isha's throat and placed her in a choke hold. He patted her head softly and called out in laughter. ''Don't be so stalkerish right now. They're both doing well with each other, I don't think you should still be watching over them. I think they can take the lead from here.''

''Sure,'' Isha groaned, trying to break free of Asyrin's grip. Elbowing him in the stomach, she breaks free and trips Asyrin, letting him fall front-view into the puffy, golden clouds. She held him down with her left arm gripping his ankle, and her right arm holding his face down. ''But they're always gonna need us with them.''

''You're so uptight, y'know,'' Asyrin drawled. Laughing to himself, he began to think of all the experiences that they had in the before life. And even now, in Heaven, both him and Isha are still arguing and shoving one another down the other's throat. Some people would call it cute, others would call it unnerving, but the both of them call it a newfound friendship. ''Still the same Isha, even after I taught your ass a lesson.''

''Please, you killed me while I was facing Hero and not giving you any attention. You act like you could do that to me while I'm focused and prepared.''

''Uh, I could! You're nothing compared to me, Isha. You're still boring and useless when it comes down to it,'' Asyrin battled his way out of Isha's grip and flipped her over, now being the one in control over a dominant fight. ''But isn't that who you are, Isha?''

''Hey, look!''

''What?'' Asyrin became easily distracted, which gave Isha the advantage over him. Asyrin lacked defense, like usual, always being the main person on offense. It was always attack, attack, _attack_ to him, and look where it got him – though he's dead, he did end up in a better place.

''Now look at you,'' Isha taunted the boy. She leaned in closer and snickered, let go and then shot her hand down to help him up. He gracefully took her hand and was hoisted up. The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like minutes on end, but eventually they both placed a hand around the other's shoulder and laughed it off. ''Maybe you're right, they might not need us anymore, but we'll always be there for them.''

'' _You'll_ always be there for them. I'm not an emotional, hopeless romantic like you who's desperately looking for love in people back down on Earth.''

''Asyrin...''

Asyrin gave in after much persistence from Isha, and the two of them turned around one more time. They spotted Hero and Colette playing a game of Cat and Mouse on the Capitol Train back to District One. Hero threw an object at a window and caused it to break, which alarmed the searching form of Colette. She managed to make it into the area where Hero was hiding, but now began to freak out.

Hero popped up from under the four-cornered bed and scared the young girl. She began to pat his nose and told him to never scare her like that again. Without so much of a sound, Asyrin and Isha both smiled down at the two of them. The both of them placed their hands out, and shot a small signal down.

Colette and Hero are both speaking at the same time, and Hero is desperately apologizing. Just as he finished and Colette began to respond, the both of them whipped around in the same direction. Something had made a sound. Could it have possibly been Isha and Asyrin sending them a message? Colette marched out of the room and tried to look past it, but Hero caught a glimpse.

Hero winced after hearing a nice popping sound, and happiness suddenly filled his body. Overwhelmed with joy, he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him closed. Outside, with Colette, the two of them watched television together and joked.

They both looked out the window together, and with a thankful smile, Hero pointed out to the sun. ''You see up there? Just know that there will always be people guiding you throughout your adventures in life, and remember that they'll never let you go.''

The two looked back up and Asyrin and Isha met eyes. ''For them?'' Asyrin asked.

''For them,'' Isha responded.

The two wrapped their fingers around each other's, and etched towards one another. Together, they walked off, happily knowing that their wishes were granted and that their jobs were completed. Maybe it wasn't over yet. Maybe they'd have to come back and look down on Hero and guide him throughout another journey. But, for now, it was over.

Together, they walked calmly towards the golden gates and entered. Their new lives were something that they could never let go of.

But their past lives were something that they would never forget.

Especially not the time when they got a _Second Chance_ , and their entire lives brightened, turned around, and changed for the better.

* * *

 **Fin.**

* * *

 **A/N: Hey! So this epilogue is like, two months overdue, but at least it's here and done. So this story was a blast for me, I loved writing each and every single tribute. I'm happy with the ending, and I think that the rest of you are as well. There's not really much for me to say besides excuse the writing here. I'm not the best at third person, but I wanted to try my hand at it, and, well, I just stuck with it, despite me not really feeling confident in it.**

 **I summarized mostly everything because I didn't want this finale to end up being extra long, but I don't think any of you will mind. But in the end, everyone gets a happy, fairy-tale like ending and it all ends up okay. Yeah, it's Panem, nothing is ever really okay, but for some people, it can be. (And this is a fanfiction, so suck it) So yeah, that's all for now. I'd like to thank everyone who submitted and read this story, especially those who stuck with me all the way until the end. Y'all are amazing.  
**

 **I have another story that I was gonna announce, but I think most of you already know so there's no reason to do so. That's irrelevant right now, so yeah, I just hope that you all enjoyed the ending. I really wanted to touch on some more things, but I decided that this was enough and that I was glad with how it ended up. So, once again, thanks for all of you who read. Hope you all have a wonderful day/night/evening/whatever, and that's the end of Second Chance. I guess I'll see you guys later, huh? But before I go, I'd like you guys to answer some questions, if it isn't too much of a struggle?**

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 **Did you like the outcome of the story?  
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 **Did you enjoy the story overall?**

 **Favorite tribute throughout the entire story**

 **Favorite moment?**

 **Favorite part of this final chapter?**

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 **So yeah, that's all for now. Actually, I guess that's all for this story. It was a fun ride, but it's not over. There's always another part to every story, whether it's your imagination or a clear ending. And sometimes, some stories finish with a clear ending if you catch my drift ;) But for now, it's done and over with. So, for one last time...**

 **Bye! ^-^**


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